Gemtalia: Season 1
by blackkitten13
Summary: The Crystal Gems are a team of magical beings who are the guardians of Earth. Half-human, half-Gem hero Peter is the "little brother" of the group. He is learning to save the world using the magical powers that come from his gem and he goes on magical adventures with the rest of the Crystal Gems, even though he's not as powerful, he always finds a way to help save the day.
1. Gem Glow

**Episode 1: Gem Glow**

* * *

 _Heta City- A small, not so populated city on the East Coast of the United States. While it may look like a nice place to relax and take a vacation, with its crisp waves and white beach, Heta City is not a perfect paradise. It is plagued by magical circumstances. If you're lucky enough, you may catch a glimpse of the Guardians who protect this city and the entire World. The legendary Crystal Gems. One of the Crystal Gems is not like the others. This is his story._

* * *

It was a beautiful day in Heta City. The birds were singing, the ocean had perfect waves, and a young boy was in turmoil. Okay, so maybe the day was not perfect for him.

Inside the local convenience store, a young twelve year old boy was pressing his face up against an ice cream freezer. His messy blond hair was stuck to the glass as his blue eyes scanned the inside. The boy's thick eyebrows were turned upward when he discovered it was empty. He wore a light-blue T-shirt with a gold star in the center of it. He also wore blue jeans with sky-blue cuffs and black sneakers that were starting to scuff up the tiled floor.

"This can't be happening! This has to be a dream!" lamented the boy, giving away to the British tongue her spoke in. He turned to one of the convenience store workers, dressed in the customary purple polo shirt and jeans. The worker's blue eyes were concentrated on his job, and the heat was making his wild blonde hair sticky with sweat. The boy latched onto him like a magnet. "Mat, Mathias! Please tell me I'm dreaming!" The worker, a teenage boy by the name of Mathias Kohler stopped in his work before attempting to pry the boy off of him.

"Get off me!" Mathias said in his Scandinavian accent as he did this. It didn't work. He looked up at his co-worker at the register. "Lovise! He's doing it again!"

A teenage girl dressed similarly to Mathias looked up from the book she was reading. Her long, light blonde hair swayed gently as she moved. Her dull blue eyes seemed to hold amusement at Mathias's current situation. She ignored him for a second, adjusting the cross barrette in her hair that strangely didn't hold back a majority of her bangs. Her pale fingers brushed past the single curl in her hair. Lovise Bondevik rested her cheek in her hand before finally speaking.

"I'm sorry, Peter," she told the boy. Her accent was very similar to Mathias's. "I guess they stopped making them." The boy, Peter, released Mathias as he looked at Lovise sadly.

"Stopped making them?! Why in the world would they stop making Cookie Cat?" Peter said to her. "They're only the most delicious ice cream sandwich ever made! Don't they have laws for this?!" Mathias rolled his eyes. He bent down in front of the cabinet, finally getting back to work.

"Tough sh-" Mathias was cut off by a deadly glare from Lovise. "... shakes, man. Nobody buys really them anymore. Besides you." Mathias went back to stocking the shelves. "I guess they couldn't compete with Lion Lickers." Peter groaned both very loudly and very audibly. He walked over to the display case of the mentioned item.

"Not Lion Lickers. Nobody likes them!" he complained. "They don't even look like lions! This is heresy." Mathias laughed as he stood up.

"Well, if you miss your ice cream so much, why don't you make some with your 'magic belly button'?" he said as he walked away, laughing.

"That's not how it works, Mathias!" Peter said. He paused for a second. "... Right?" Peter lifted up his shirt. Where a normal human being's navel cavity would be, a gemstone took the place of Peter's. Peter poked the pentagonal-cut emerald stone. Nothing happened. He sighed, lowering his shirt. Peter walked back over to the Cookie Cat freezer.

"Oh, sweet Cookie Cats," he muttered a little too loudly as he drew a cookie cat on the freezer with his finger, "with your crunchy cookie outside and your icy creamy insides... you were too good for this world." The boy kissed the freezer. From the register, Lovise and Mathias exchanged a look with each other.

"Ugh... Peter?" Lovise called out. Peter didn't respond, but instead he hugged the freezer. "Do you want to take the freezer with you? We're going to get rid of it anyway." Peter looked over at her. He nodded.

* * *

After Mathias had unhooked the machine from the wall, Peter eagerly wrapped it around his shoulder and in his back. He hummed happily to himself as he ran on home.

Unlike most residents of Heta City, Peter lived on the beach. His home was rather strange. The house was built underneath an enormous, four armed statue of a masked woman.

Peter ran up his house steps and opened his door. He didn't expect the see his three guardians fighting a horde of oversized centipedes his room.

"Hey guys, you won't believe this —" Peter said excitedly before one of the bugs launched itself at him. He yelled out before the bug was caught by a whip.

"Sup, Peter?" responded the first of Peter's three guardians. Turquoise. She had bright blue eyes and wavy, blue-green hair that came to her shoulders, with two star-shaped barrettes holding her bangs out of her face. Like Peter, all of his guardians had gems on their bodies. Her teal gemstone is located on her chest, and had a hexagonal cut, with lines of deep brown running through it like cracks. Her skin was a pale teal. She wore a light blue-green, oversized, off-shoulder tank top with a black bra underneath. She wore black leggings with star-shaped cutouts on the knees. There was also a tear above the left star. Her boots were white.

"Awesome!" said Peter as he put down the freezer that had been strapped to his back. "What are these things?" The second of his guardians lifted up a centipede and groaned. This was Pearl.  
"Sorry, Peter, we'll get these centipeetles out of your room," she said in a tone all to similar to Peter's. "We think they were trying to get into the temple."

Pearl wore white glasses and wore her blonde hair in long pigtails that were completely straight. Her eyes were green. Pearl's gemstone was located on the middle of her forehead and was completely smooth. Pearl wore a sleeveless, green top that had a translucent chest and transferred into a transparent ballet skirt around her waist. She wore short light green-colored leggings, green socks, and dark green slip-on ballet flats to match.

"Aw, you don't have to get rid of 'em," Peter told Pearl. "They're really cool." A "centipeetle", as Pearl called them, spat out acid onto the wooden floor. It sizzled. Peter and Pearl glanced down at it.

"Were getting rid of them," said Pearl simply. Turquoise managed to grab one of the centipeetles. She reduced it to a cloud of dust before realizing something.

"Um, you guys," she called out to her teammates. "These things don't have gems. They're just carbon copies."

"Zhat means zhere must be a mozher somevhere nearby," said the third and final of Peters guardians. Her accent was rather strange, considering she had never been to Europe as far as Peter knew.

And this gem was Topaz. She had long, rather wild pale orange hair. She sported a scar on her right cheek and Peter believed that under her eye. Unlike Peter, Pearl, and Turquoise, Topaz had two, golden-orange gemstones. The one on her right hand was cut like a triangle, and the one in her left hand was cut like a square. Topaz had pale yellow colored skin. She almost always wore triangular futuristic, translucent orange-tinted shades, which covered her eyes. She wore a dark orange bodysuit with the right leg of the suit being gold. The bodysuit had cubic shoulder pads with the right one being red, the left one being gold. A yellow star with a red outline was emblazoned her chest. She also wore long, elbow-length dark orange gloves that covered her middle fingers.

A Centipeetle snuck up from beside Topaz. She quickly punched it, causing it to turn into a cloud.  
"We should probably find it before anyone gets hurt," said Pearl. It was these words that made Peter more excited than he had been before.

"Can I come?!" he asked Pearl. "Can I, can I?!" Pearl sighed, picking up a centipeetle off of the ground.  
"Peter, until you learn to control the powers in your gem," she said calmly before snapping the centipeetle's neck. It turned into a cloud. "-we'll take care of protecting humanity, okay?" Peter frowned a little bit. That's when he noticed one of the centipeetles raiding the refrigerator.

"Hey! Get out of there!" he shouted at the Centipeetle, pulling it out. "Go on, shoo shoo! Aw, they got into everything." Peter looked through the fridge. His eyes lit up. The fridge was full of Cookie Cats. "No way... it can't be! W-where did you get these?! I thought they stopped making them!" He turned around. The centipeetles were gone, and his guardians were standing around him.

"Well, we heard that too, and since they're your favorite—" Pearl began to explain.  
"We went out and stolea bunch!" Turquoise cut in as she hopped up onto the counter. Pearl shot Turquoise a glare.

"I went back and paid for them."

"Zhe whole zhing vas my idea," said Topaz.  
"It was everyone's idea," Turquoise contradicted.

"Not really," continued Topaz. Pearl held up her hand to silence the Gems.

"All that matters is that Peter is happy," she said with a gentle smile. Peter, happy as could be, broke out into a little song.

"Oohhhhh! He's a frozen treat with an all new taste, 'cause he came to this planet from outer space! A refugee of an interstellar war! But now he's at your local grocery store!" he sang, "Cookie Cat! He's a pet for your tummy! Cookie Cat! He's super duper yummy! Cookie Cat! He left his family behind! Cookie Caaaaat! Now available off Route 109!" As soon as Peter was finished, the Gems broke out into laughter and applause.

"I can't believe you did this. I'm gonna save these forever!" Peter said as soon as the gems were quiet. "Right after I eat this one." He took one of the bars from the freezer, unwrapping it quickly. "Hello, old friend." He took a bite into it. "Oh, so good!" Without him noticing, Peter's gem began to glow a faint green color. The Gems stared at him in amazement. "I like to eat the ears first."

"Uh, Peter…" said Turquoise. Peter looked over at her. She pointed to her own gem and then at him.

"Wha-?" Peter looked down, almost dropping his ice cream. "My gem!"

"Quick, try and summon your weapon!" said Turquoise in haste.

"I don't know how!" Peter began to panic as the glow began to fade "Ah, it's fading! How do I make it come back?!"

"Calm down, Peter," said Pearl calmly. She placed her hands on Peter's shoulders. "Breathe, don't force it."

"Yeah, and try not to crap yourself either," Turquoise said with a snicker.

"Please, don't," added Topaz. The gem glow faded away, earning a collective sigh from the Gems and Peter.

"I was really close that time!" Peter said, almost exasperated. He looked up at the Gems. "Can one of you just explain how to summon a weapon?"

"Oh, I'll go first!" said Pearl in singsong manner as she stepped up.

* * *

Pearl practically dragged Peter out of the house and up to her favourite hill. He sat in front of her as she stood beneath a blossoming apple tree. The petals fell before them.

"Pay attention to these petals, Peter. The petals' dance seems improvised, but it is being calculated in real time based on the physical properties of this planet," Pearl explained, catching a blossom in her hand. "With hard work and dedication, you can master the magical properties of your gem and perform your own dance!" Her gem glowed. Out of it, Pearl summoned forth her spear.

Pearl wielded a magic spear that consists of a glowing pearl blade with a white grip and a cyan, gold, and white colored band shaped like a star. The head of the blade spiraled down the upper shaft, becoming less sharp on the lower shaft.

"Like so," said Pearl, releasing the blossom from her hand.

* * *

Later on, Peter stood out back behind the convenience store. Turquoise was with him. Peter picked up a pile of petals off the ground and tossed them in the air.

"Did Pearl tell you the 'petal thing'?" said Turquoise in a bland tone. Peter gave her a nod.

"Yeah, I need to practice really hard so I can dance like a tree…" he said. "I think." Turquoise rolled her eyes.

"Listen Peter, all that practice stuff is no fun. Whenever I need to summon my weapon, it just happens." Turquoise put a fist over her gem and pulled.

Out of it came a whip. It had a cross-guard in the form of a icy blue star. The lash was dark blue and was divided into three different segments with gems on the ends. Multiple shards are embedded on the main lash. The handle itself was bluish grey, ending in a turquoise gem. Turquoise twirled the whip around before breaking a garbage container in two.

"See?" she said. "Didn't try at all."

* * *

Confused on what to do about summoning his weapon from his gem, Peter decided to ask the only remaining person. Topaz.

"So I'm supposed to work really hard and not try at all at the same time?" Peter asked once he confronted her.

"Yes. Or…" said Topaz. "you could link your mind vith zhe energy of all existing matter. Channeling zhe collective power of zhe universe zhrough your gem, vhich results in—" In a flash, Topaz summoned gauntlets from her gems. Her gauntlets had a orange and light orange spiral design around the entire shaft, orange and golden fingers and fingertips, and contained the same star motif on the tops and bases of the gauntlets.

"At least zhat's my vay of doing it."

* * *

Topaz was no help to Peter. He made up his own mind and try out a plan of his own. He gathered the Gems into the kitchen.

"I think my best bet is to recreate what happened the last time my gem glowed," Peter said as he revealed his plan. He pointed to Topaz an Turquoise. "So... Topaz and Turquoise were here. Pearl was next to the fridge. Hmm. Turquoise, I think you were up on the counter?" Turquoise smirked.

"Okay, your majesty," she said as she jumped up on the counter, leaning upon it.  
"And Pearl, your foot was like this." Peter moved Pearl's foot a little.

"I don't think it works this way Peter," said Pearl. She went by ignored as Peter moved to Topaz.

"And Topaz, uh…" Peter moved her face upward. "Yeah." He went over to the freezer, taking out a Cookie Cat and unwrapping it.

"Then I took a bite of a Cookie Cat. Oh, wait! I sang the song first. Uh, he's a frozen treat, all new taste, interstellar war, now available at Ghurven's. Aww, it was funnier last time." Peter sighed. "Maybe I'm not a real Crystal Gem." The Gems exchanged looks. Pearl walked over to Peter. She put an arm around him as she knelt down.

"Don't be silly, Peter," she told him. "Of course you are."

"And you're fun to have around, even if your gem is useless," added Turquoise as she jumped down from the counter. Pearl glared angrily at her. "I... mean, you're one of us, Peter. We're not the Crystal Gems without you!" Topaz nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, even if I don't have powers, I've still got... Cookie Cat!" Peter said, taking a bite of the bar. He felt happy, hopeful and loved. As soon as Peter took a bite for the ice cream, his gem began to shine brightly. Instead of fading away like last time, something materialized from the glow. From Peter's gem formed a green shield. The center resembled an Emerald gem surrounded by thorns. There was a collective gasp from the Crystal Gems.

"Peter, it's a shield!" Pearl said, almost amazed.

"Whoa, what?! I get a shield?! Yes!" Peter said. His tone was a mix of surprise and his own amazement. With the excitement he was feeling, Peter accidentally released his shield. It bounced off the walls of the house before finally crashing through the window. Turquoise burst out laughing. "Huh? Cookie Cat! I summon my weapon by eating ice cream!" Pearl picked the wrapper off of the ground, giving it a suspicious look.

"What's in these things?" she muttered.

Suddenly, a small earthquake shook the house and its inhabitants.

"What was that?" Peter asked the Gems. No one had an answer.

* * *

The Crystal Gems ran out of the house and onto the beach. Centipeetles by the dozens were crawling up the house, all of them heading towards one larger Centipeetle.

"It's zhe Mozher!" shouted Topaz as she and Turquoise ran towards it.

"Stay in the house, Peter!" Pearl called before rushing to join her fellow Gems.

"No way, I'm coming too!" Peter yelled. Before rushing out to meet the Gems, he went back into the house, grabbing several Cookie Cats and the freezer.

Meanwhile, the Gems chased the mother to the back of the Temple they resided in. The table turned, however, when the mother cornered them behind a broken piece if the statue that was carved out of the temple. Acid from the Centipeetle was pouring over the edges.

"We could really use Peter's shield right about now!" Turquoise cried out, ducking from a shot of acid. As if on cue, Peter ran outside to the Centipeetle Mother. He dropped the freezer in the ground. Picking up a stone, he threw it at the Centipeetle.

"Hey!" he shouted, getting the monster's attention. "Leave them alone!" The Gems peered out from behind the hand.

"Peter, no!" they cried out. Peter didn't listen. He took a Cookie Cat from the freezer, hastily unwrapping it.

"Cookie Crystal combo powers, activate!" But when Peter took a bite, nothing happened. "Uh-oh." Peter stumbled backwards as the Centipeetle got closer to him.

"We need to save Peter!" said Pearl, her voice filled with worry and concern.

"Can we save ourselves first?!" shouted Turquoise.

"Goodbye, my friends," Peter muttered as he ate several more of the ice cream bars. Once again, nothing happened. "Why isn't it working?" He took a few more steps back before tripping and falling on his back. The Centipeetle Mother was inches from him.

"Peter!" Topaz almost shrieked. She reached out from behind the hand, grabbing the tail of the Centipeetle. It fell, being dragged backwards. It turned it's attention on the Gems. Peter's eyes fell on what remained of the freezer, destroyed when the Centipeetle fell.

"No... Oh, no no no no no!..." Peter got to his feet, running over towards it. His fist clenched together. "Cookie Cat, he's a pet for your tummy. Cookie Cat, he's super duper yummy!" Peter became more aggressive as he picked up the freezer. "Cookie Cat, he left his family behind! Cookie Caaat!" With all of his strength, Peter threw the freezer at the mother. The cord entangled around it, successfully shocking it. "Now available... nowhere." With the distraction they needed, the Gems emerged from their cover.

"Yes!" cheered Turquoise.

"Gems, veapons!" Topaz ordered. The Gems summon their weapons. "Let's do it."

The Gems ran and attacked all at once, destroying the mother. It poofed into a cloud, leaving behind a round gemstone similar to an eye. Topaz caught it in her hands. Using her powers, Topaz created an orange bubble around the gem. The bubble and gem disappeared, successfully captured and contained.

* * *

Peter dredged up the ruins of the freezer, as well as a couple of wrappers, before finding a spot on the beach. He buried them both, using a rock as a grave marker. He sat down in front if it.

"Farewell, sweet Cookie Cats. I'll always remember the time we spent together," he said sadly before he stomach growled. "Shh, hush now." The Gems looked at each other before walking over to Peter.

"Are you crying?" asked Turquoise.

"Only a little!" Peter shouted, wiping his eyes. Turquoise squatted down next to him.

"Well, I guess your powers don't come from ice cream."

"Of course they don't come from ice cream," said Pearl. She sighed. "Don't worry, Peter, I'm sure some day you'll figure out how to activate your gem."

"Yes," Topaz added. "In your own Peter-y vay." Peter smiled a little bit before doubling over. The Gems went to help him, but Peter stopped them.

"I'm okay guys. I just—"Peter said as his stomach rumbled again. "Ugh, I think I ate too many Cookie Cats." Gems laughed. Peter laughed anxiously with them before he vomited onto the beach.

After releasing everything in his stomach, Topaz picked Peter up and the Gems headed back into the temple.

* * *

 **In the next episode, a magical comet hurtles toward Heta City, and Petet must dig through his dad's collection of old junk, and the past, to find the weapon that can save the town.**


	2. Laser Light Cannon

**Episode 2: Laser Light Cannon**

* * *

The sun was setting over Heta City. The shops that lined the Boardwalk were closing for the evening.

Peter and Turquoise ran up towards one of the locally run establishments.  
"Hey, Allister, give me the bits!" Peter said to the redheaded man inside. He was one of three who ran the place. Just as Peter ran up, Allister flipped the OPEN sign to CLOSED.  
"Peter! We're closed," Allister told the boy. Peter frowned.

"What? But we left early this time!"

"Give 'em the bits!" Turquoise demanded, hitting the counter with her fists. "The bits, the bits…" Peter joined her in hitting the counter.

"The BITS! The BITS! The BITS!"

"Okay, okay!" said Allister, cutting them both off. "Take it easy on the counter, will ya?" Allister turned back to the kitchen, allowing Turquoise and Peter to high-five each other in victory.

A few moments later, Allister emerged with a bag in his hands. He gave it to Peter.

"I can give ya actual food if ya want," Allister told him. Peter shook his head.

"Just the bits, please, thank you!" Peter said. He and Turquoise walked away. Turquoise reached into the bag, taking out a handful of the fried bits of food Peter had ordered.

"Ah, sunset, my favorite time of day," Peter thought out loud. "When the sun goes down, and the second sun gets bigger and bigger in the sky." Turquoise laughed.

"Yeah, that big hot second su—" she said before stopping. She looked up at the sky, gasping at what Peter was talking about. In the sky, was a large, red sphere. "Oh no, what is _that_ doing here?"

"What is it?" Peter asked. Turquoise didn't respond. Instead, she swiftly picked up Peter. He dropped his bag. "Turquoise!" She still didn't listen to him as she ran back to the temple.

* * *

Meanwhile, Topaz and Pearl were waiting patiently for the return of Peter and Turquoise. Pearl peered through the telescope they had set up in the beach, staring at the sphere in the sky.

"Zhis is bad," said Topaz, glaring at the sphere through her visor.

"Look at the size of it!" Pearl exclaimed. She was panicked. "I had no idea these things were so big!" Two people appeared in the distance.

"Topaz!" shouted Turquoise as she ran towards her fellow Gems with Peter. "Pearl!" Pearl recoiled from the telescope. She turned to the two as Turquoise dropped Peter.

"We saw. Some of us are trying to protect humanity," Pearl said angrily. "Where were you?"

"... Eating fried bits." Pearl sighed. Peter stood up.

"Can I see?" he asked. Pearl stepped aside to allow Peter to look into the telescope. He peered inside. "Woah. It's a giant eyeball! Awesome!"

"Not awesome!" said Pearl as Peter reeled back. "It's a Red Eye!"

"A Red Eye?! It's going to infect us all!"

"Zhat's pink eye, Peter," said laughed into her hand.

"It's going to crash into Heta City and crush us, along with a bunch of oblivious, innocent people!" Pearl said in a panic. She drew a deep breath to calm herself. "We have to stop it."

"What are we going to do?" Peter asked, looking up at the Gems. Topaz adjusted her visor as she turned her attention back up to the Red Eye. She growled in frustration, ber hands balling up.

"Zhe only zhing I can zhink of zhat is powerful enough to destroy it is a Light Cannon zhat belonged to Emerald," she said. Her eyes were focused on the Red Eye. Peter looked up to her as she mentioned the once leader of the Crystal Gems.

"My mum?" he said. His hand touched his gem.

"If Emerald were here," said Turquoise through her teeth, "This would be so easy." She kicked the sand. Pearl sighed sadly.

"I know, but she's not, and the cannon is missing," Pearl said before shaking her head and getting back in the game. "We'll have to find another solution." The Gems were quiet for a moment. That's when Peter got an idea.

"If it belonged to my mum, I bet my dad knows where it is," he said with near excitement. "He can help us save the day!" The Gem remained quiet until Pearl cleared her throat.

"Your father is... nice, Peter," she said. Pearl seemed uncomfortable. "But I doubt Emerald would entrust someone like him with such a powerful weapon." Turquoise didn't sugarcoat her opinion on Peter's dad as Pearl had.

"Your dad is kind of a mess, Peter," she said as she put hand on Peter's shoulder.

"Turquoise!"

"I'm just sayin'," said Turquoise as she reeled back. "Even if she did leave it with him, he probably broke it, or lost it, or dropped it in the ocean by now."

"True," added Topaz. Peter shook his head.

"No way, I'm sure he's just keeping it somewhere safe," Peter countered to the Gems' statements. "I'll go ask him."

"Ve can handle zhis, Peter." Topaz turned to Turquoise. "Ready?" Turquoise gave her a nod. Topaz picks up Turquoise and tosses her at the Red Eye. Turquoise slammed against the Red Eye. She did no damage to it, but instead slid off and fell into the ocean.

"Um, I'm gonna go…"

"... Okay, good luck," said Pearl halfheartedly. Peter looked up at the sky before running off the beach.

* * *

Peter didn't stop running. He ran down the Boardwalk and through the streets. He didn't stop until he reached the clinic on the other side of town. It was a small place and didn't make much money, which explained why Peter didn't live with the only person who ran it. His father.

Outside the clinic was an old van. Peter ran up to it. He began banging on the back doors of the van.

"Dad, it's me! Dad, are you in there?" Peter called out. "Wake up! We have to save... the— WORLD!" After no response, Peter decided to climb up onto the van. He jumped on to top. "Dad!" Peter tripped on the roof. The cause of his impact set off the car alarm. Peter smiled. Now this was sure to get his dad's attention.

A man almost burst out of the van, a waffle iron in his hand.

"Who's there?" he shouted, raising the waffle iron. "I have a... waffle iron? I did not mean to grab that..." He seemed confused as he looked down at what he had grabbed.

"Dad, it's me!" Peter called, waving to his dad. His father turned around.

Tino Väinämöinen was a short man with a kind heart, mostly giving people a place at his clinic for free. He had short blond hair and violet eyes. He was still dressed in his work clothes, with the usual white coat absent.

"Peter?" Tino said in surprise. He tossed the waffle iron back into the van. Peter jumped down, only to be caught by his father's arms. Tino hugged the boy. "I almost smacked your face or a lot worse! What areyou doing up so late?" Peter looked at his father curiously.

"What do you mean? The sun just went down an hour ago," said Peter. Tino turned a deep shade of red.

"Oh, heh. It was a... slow day at the clinic," he said. "Anyway, what's up? Just needed to see your old man, pal around, learn some lessons about life?" Peter shook his head.

"No! I need the light cannon that belonged to Mum, to blow up that eyeball!"

"Eyeball?"

"That!" Peter pointed over to the red sphere lingering over the town. Tino looked over to where his son was pointing. A small object his the Red Eye before bouncing off and plummeting into the ocean.

"Wait, is that a magical thing?" Tino asked as he turned back to Peter. "The Gems told me not to get involved with magic stuff. It... it could be dangerous. I don't want to interfere."

"But they need Mum's cannon," said Peter, tugging on his dad's hand. "You've gotta know where it is, like a cave dungeon or a cloud fortress, or in a clam at the bottom of the ocean!" Tino laughed.

"Well, I don't know about all that. But I have an idea where it might be…"

* * *

One van ride later, Tino and Peter arrived at the location Tino had been talking about. An old storage unit in the other side of town. Peter got out of the van once it came to a stop.

"A magical storage unit!" he said as he rushed to the unit they stopped at. Tino laughed, shaking his head.

"Not exactly. But some would say there's magic inside," said Tino. "It's just a shed I use to keep things that don't fit in the van. If it's anywhere, it'll be in here." Tino fished his key ring from the van and walked over the storage shed. With a simple click, he opened the door to reveal a mountainous array of boxes and clutter.

"If I'm going in there, I'm gonna need some help…" said Peter. He grabbed a flashlight, a sock and an electrical cord from the back of his father's van. He tied the flashlight to his head with the sock and wrapped the cord around his waist. Tino held the other end. "Here I go."

"Good luck!" shouted Tino as Peter crawled inside of the shed.

"Woah, cool! It's like a dad museum.," Peter muttered as he went in deeper. His eyes caught sight of something. "There it is!" He reached up, pulling down a set of golf clubs. "Do you golf?"

"Eh, I'd like to think of myself as someone who would golf…" Tino answered from outside of the shed. "Eventually." Peter set down the clubs as he noticed another thing that could be his mother's cannon.

"Hmm, yes! ... A drum." He sighed as he continued rummaging through the boxes. "No, no…" He pulled a handheld device out, most likely to be a cannon. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Is this—" He shot it. The only thing that came out was a simple T-shirt. Peter groaned as he tossed it to the side. His eyes caught sight of something as he picked up a box.

"Hey, there's a bunch of copies of your old CD!" he called out to his father. Peter pulled one out before sliding it in his pocket.

"Oh my god, I couldn't give those things away," Tino said from the other side as Peter continued to comb through the boxes. "You know, before I ran the clinic, when I was a one-man band, I traveled the whole country." Peter laughed to himself.

"I know, Dad."

"When I came to play a concert here in Heta City, no one showed up except—"

"An ALLIGATOR!" said Peter. Tino laughed.

"No, it was your mother," he replied. Peter laughed again as he went deeper into the storage shed.

"I know."

"And we were always together after that. Until she gave up her physical form to bring you into the world. I don't know what a magic lady like her ever saw in a plain old man like me," said Tino. Peter became lost in the thought of his mother. He had never met her. Like his father had said, she had technically died in order for Peter to be born. He only knew what he had been told about her from the Gems and his dad. Heck, the only picture he had of her was hanging in his house. Peter was pulled out of his thoughts by the crunch of glass. He looked down, seeing a broken picture frame.

"Uh, Dad, I broke a photo," he shouted.

"It's okay. If everyone was perfect, we wouldn't be human," Tino called back. From the depths of the shed, Peter noticed a faint green glow. He dug his way through the boxes before spying a green cannon resting up against the wall.

"The light cannon! Dad, I found it!"

"Really?" Peter unwrapped the cord from around his waist and tied it to the cannon.

"Get the van!"

* * *

A short while later, Tino had managed to release the light cannon from its prison of clutter. Peter was ecstatic.

"This thing could save the city, we've gotta get it to the beach!" he exclaimed.

"How?" asked Tino. "It's too big for the van." A wagon rolled past them and out if the shed. Peter took it, hooking it up to the van. He and Tino picked up the cannon, securing it inside the wagon before heading off towards the beach.

The entire way down to the beach, Peter was nervous. He found himself looking over in the rear view mirror more than once, hoping to that the cannon would stay in place.

"Is it gonna be okay?" he asked his dad. Tino reached over, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder to ease him.

"Yes. Everything's going to be fine," said Tino before his hands returned to the wheel. While he appeared to be calm, Tink was truly panicking on the inside. He looked out the window. The Red Eye had gotten bigger. "That thing's getting huge, it's freaking me out."

"Can't the van go any faster?" asked Peter.

"This is faster." Peter felt a pit drop into his stomach. What if they didn't make it in time?

"Don't worry," said Peter, shaking the thought out of his head. "Come on, let's put on your CD." Tino flushed red as Peter pulled the CD from his pocket.

"What? Really?" said Tino. "Come on, you've heard it." Peter laughed a bit.

"You come on," he said as he put in the disc. "It's great." Peter pressed play.

 _"I know I'm not that tall. I know I'm not that smart, but let me drive my van into your heart_ …" sang out the disc's recording.

"Let me drive my van into your heart!" Peter sang along.

Tino's embarrassment faded away as the pair drove to the beach. He could feel a sense of pride radiating for his son.

 _I know I'm not that rich. I'm trying to get my start. So let me drive my van into your heart. Let me drive my van into your heart. And if we look out of place, well, baby, that's okay. I'll drive us into outer space where we can't hear what people say._

* * *

They arrived at the beach quicker than expected. Peter and Tino quickly found the Gems as Turquoise washed back up on shore, dripping wet with seawater.  
"Throw me again, I think I'm cracking it," she said as she stood up. Turquoise's eyes widened when she saw the van pull up. "Is that…?"

 _I know I don't have a plan. I'm working on that part._

"Hey, guys!" shouted Peter as he jumped from the van, waving to them. The Gems stared at him, the light cannon and the van.

 _At least I've got a van. So let me drive my van into your heart._

"He really had it!" Pearl gasped in disbelief.

 _Let me drive my van into your heart. Let me drive my van into your heart_.

"We're saved!" cheered Turquoise. She and Topaz hurried over the cannon, easily picking it up and placing it in the beach. Tino and Peter joined them.

 _Let me drive my van into your heart. Let me drive my van into your heart._

The Red Eye's gravity began to pull everything towards it, causing rumbling and destruction. Wind whipped at the bunch on the beach.

"Ve have to use it now," said Topaz. "Ve have no ozher choice."

"I don't know how it works," exclaimed Pearl. "It was Emerald's! Only she knew how to work it!" Peter stared up at the Red Eye and to his dad.

"Dad, how do we use it?" Tino responded with a simple shrug.

"Peter, this is serious," said Pearl. She gazed at Peter for a second before she realized. "The gem. You have Emerald's gem. You can activate it!"

"That's it!" said Turquoise. She picked Peter up before rubbing him against the cannon. It didn't work. "Come on!" Topaz pulled Turquoise away from Peter.

"Stop zhat," she said.

"It's no use," Pearl said as she stared up at the Red Eye.

"Fine, forget it," exclaimed Turquoise. "Throw me again."

"That's not going to work." The gravitational pull intensified. It pulled at everything in sight, and threatened to usurp Peter's balance. Peter placed his hands on the cannon..

"Please work, unlock, activate, go, please! Everyone's counting on you, you can't just be useless!" he cried. The cannon remained lifeless. "I know you can help." Tino dropped down to Peter's level, keeping a steady hand on the cannon and his son.

"It's okay, Peter," he said. "We'll figure out something else, something even better."

"R-r-r-right, if everyone were perfect, we wouldn't be human."

A low hum came from the cannon as it produced its green glow. It had finally awakened from its long slumber.

"It's working!" cried out Pearl. Unfortunately, with no support, the cannon fell. Peter attempted to lift the cannon back into position to aim it at the Red Eye. Alone, he only managed to get it a few inches. The Gems raced to his side. With the strength of all four of them, they were able to keep the cannon locked into position.

"This is it!" Turquoise said. She sounded excited.

"Brace yourselves!" shouted Topaz above the noise. The cannon fired out its green light. It hit the Red Eye directly in its center. The sphere exploded. Shrapnel fell onto the city below, destroying bits and pieces of the Boardwalk. The Gems didn't care. They were joyful.

"Peter, you just saved most of Beach City!" said Turquoise. She picked Peter up, spinning him around for a moment for dropping him back on the sand.

"How did you get it to work?" Pearl asked, her eyes darting to the cannon for a brief second. Peter replied with a simple shrug.

"I just said that thing that Dad always says," he explained. "And it turned on."

"That thing about perfection?"

"Being human," Topaz corrected. Peter looked over to his father. He stood on the beach, his eyes focused on where the Red Eye had been moment before. A tear slipped from his eye.

"Em…" Tino muttered.

The tide came in around them. It washed up onto the shore before pulling anything not secured to the surf. Including Tino's van, which caused laughter to come from Peter and the Gems.

"Myvan!"

"It's okay, Dad, if everyone was perfect—" began Peter before Tino ran towards the vehicle.

"I _live_ in there!" he said.

"Wait up!" shouted Peter as he raced towards his dad and the van.

"Oh geez, wait, wait, wait!"

* * *

 **In the next episode, a** **mission to the Lunar Sea Spire takes a treacherous turn, but Peter has packed his totally amazing Cheeseburger Backpack with anything they could ever need!**


	3. Cheeseburger Backpack

**Episode 3: Cheeseburger Backpack**

* * *

Peter sat on one of the many rocks near the Temple. He had been sitting there almost the entire day so far.

"Hey, Mr. Postman, bring me a post, bring me the post that I love the most," he sang to himself. Peter snapped to attention when he heard someone approach. He grinned.

The postman had arrived. "My song came true!" Peter jumped down from his position and ran to greet the postman.

Marcello was the only one down at the post office who actually dared to go bear the Crystal Temple. He was only a few years older than Peter. His brown hair had a hair curl that was bent and angular. His eyes were green.

"Do you have a package for me today?" Peter asked excitedly when he greeted the teenager.

"Hold on," said Marcello. "Let me see what I've got here." He rummaged through his bag before pulling out a package. "Did you order a loaf of bread with a stamp on it?"

"No," said Peter as he shook his head. Marcello pulled out an envelope.

"Did you order a jury summons for R.J. Finkle?" he asked. Peter laughed.

"That's not me, I'm Peter."

"Oh, right, right, right, Peter!" Marcello pulled out the package containing Peter's reward. "Here it is, Peter Väinämöinen."

"Thank you! This thing is gonna help me save the world."

"Really?" Marcello asked curiously, looking at the package. "It says it's from Wacky Sacks Supply Company." Peter gave him a nod.

"Topaz, Turquoise, and Pearl think I shouldn't go on magic adventures because I don't know how to use my Gem powers yet—"

"That seems reasonable."

"But there are other ways I can help."

"With a Wacky Sack?"

"Exactly!"

"Do you know how you can save my world?" Marcello asked. He retrieved a pad from his bag. "Sign here, please."

"Okay." Peter took the pad. He wrote down his name in his rushed handwriting.

"My boss yells at me if I don't get signatures."

"That's awful." Before the conversation could go any further, a faint blue glow illuminated from Peter's house. Peter grinned. "Topaz, Turquoise, and Pearl are back!" He took the package and ran up the stairs to his front door.

* * *

Peter flung open the front door and raced inside. He found the Gems standing on the crystal platform inside of his room. Topaz was covered in feathers, Turquoise was carrying a large egg and Pearl was cradling a statue to her chest.

"Hey, Peter," said Topaz as she began picking the feathers from her knotted mass of hair.

"Turquoise, we do not need that!" said Pearl, following Turquoise into the kitchen. "It's not going to fit in the fridge!"

"Relax Pearl," said Turquoise cooly. "I got this." She opened the fridge before slowly slides a tray out of the fridge. The milk and bagels fell to the floor, making enough room for the egg. "Look, it fits!" Turquoise slammed refrigerator door. A crack came from the inside. "Oh, man. We can make a big omelet, or a quiche, or big sunny side ups!—" Pearl rolled her eyes before turning to Peter.

"We fought a giant bird," she explained. "We're only here for a second, we've got to go back out."

"What?" asked Peter. "Why?" Pearl held up the statue in her hands to show him.

"We have to place this Moon Goddess Statue on the top of the Lunar Sea Spire before midnight. Without it, the whole place will fall apart! Oh, Peter, you should have seen the spire in its heyday." Pearl fell into a dreamy gaze. Her Gem glowed before it created a projection. It was Pearl's memory of the Sea Spire. "It was an oasis for Gems on Earth. It's abandoned now, but we can still save it with this statue!" She cut off the projection.

"That's perfect!" exclaimed Peter, stars forming in his eyes.

"What? Why?" Pearl asked.

"Because I can help carry it for you in this!" Peter removed the brown paper from the package he had received. It was a backpack, shaped like a burger.

"A hamburger?" asked Pearl, acbit confused.

"It's a novelty backpack, shaped like a cheeseburger! Aww, I blew it," said Peter. He threw the bag on his shoulder. "I was just going to wear it one day, and you guys would be like, 'Peter, that's so cool.' But this is obviously important Gem business."

"Yes, so you should let us take care of it."

"What?" Peter hadnt expected that to be Pearls answer. "But I'm a Gem!" He lifted up shirt and pointed to the emerald stone in his navel. Pearl sighed.

"But you've still got a lot to learn," she reminded him. Turquoise nudged Pearl with her elbow.

"So, let him come!" she said. "It'll be educational." Pearl paused for a moment.

"Hmm, alright." She handed off the statue to Peter. "You can carry it in your hamburger." Peter took the statue with a grin. He got down on his knees, opening his backpack.

"Check this out! Everything's a pocket! Even the cheese is a pocket!" he rold the Gems before standing up. "I could fit a lot more stuff in here. Give me a minute. I'll pack extra supplies."

* * *

The Gems watched as Peter raced throughout the house, stuffing multiple things within his backpack, including a small toy. They were standing on the crystal warp pad, ready to go.  
"Peter, let's go!" Pearl called out after about three minutes.

"Coming!" Peter replied. He ran down the stairs that lead to the loft that served as his bedroom. He jumped onto the warp pad with the Gems.

"Woah, Peter, did you bring your whole room?" asked Pearl

"Back that thang up," snickered Turquoise.

"Let's varp," Topaz said. A blue light shot up from the pad. The light didn't cover Peter's stomach.

"Suck it in, Peter!" said Turquoise. Peter inhaled, pulling his stomach in. The blue light engulfed him and the Gems.

* * *

"Do you remember how to do this?" Pearl asked Peter as she, Peter and the other Gems floated in the blue light of the warp zone. She loiked over. Peter was floating and laughing. His head goes out of the warp stream. Pearl pulled him back in. "Keep your head in."

* * *

A short while later, the Gems gracefully landed in the corresponding warp pad outside of the Sea Spire. Peter's eyes were wide as he looked at the structure.

"Whoa, the Sea Spire!" he said in awe. A piece of the Spire broke off, earning a sigh from Pearl as they began heading towards it.

"It wasn't like this a hundred years ago," she said sadly.

"I'm sensing structural instability," Topaz added as they approached a gap between them and the Sea Spire. "Zhat isn't meant to be sarcasm… Zhis time."

"That's never good," said Peter. He stood on a crumbling edge that was seconds from giving away.

"Peter!" shouted Pearl.

"What?" Pearl reached over, grabbing Peter and pulling him away from the edge as it fell into the water below. She held him tightly to her chest. "Alright, hold on. We're taking Peter back!" Peter struggled against Pearl's hold on him.

"Pearl Let me go!" he said. When Pearl didn'tdidn't comply with the wish, Peter slipped out fron under her arms. "I can do this on my own!"

"Peter! This place is your heritage. I want you to stay and help, but you really got to take this seriously! Can you do that, Peter?" Peter didn't answer. "Peter." In the end, he gave her a short nod.

"Got it."

"Good."

"Enough, ve have to keep going," stated Topaz. "Peter stays. It's too late to turn back now."

* * *

The Gems walked up to the edge of a cliff. Topaz held out her arms, stopping the three behind her from going any further.

"What's the hold-up?" Turquoise asked. "We can clear this easily." Topaz shook her head.

"No," she said. "Zhe magic zhat keeps zhe vhirlpool going creates a vacuum zhat vill pull us below." Topaz picked up a small stone from off the ground. She threw it at the Sea Spire. It wasn't even halfway across when it was pulled down into the waters below. "Like so."

"How can we get across then?" asked Pearl. Before either Gem could give out an idea, Peter stepped up.

"Wait!" he said as he pulled out a bundle of sweaters from his backpack.

"What are those for?" Turquoise asked curiously.

"They were for keeping warm," Peter told her as he tied the sleeves of the sweaters together. "But watch this!"

Peter whipped one end through the window and caught the other end of the makeshift rope as it came back to him. He took a few paces back before he jumped.

"Peter!" cried out Topaz.

"Wait!" Pearl added. They both reached out for the edge of his shirt, but missed it by half a centimeter. Peter was pulled down by the vacuum.

"Peter!" shouted all three of the Gems. Despite the heavy force pulling down on him, Peter pulled himself up the wall of the Spire. He reached the other side unharmed.

"Way to go, Peter!" called Turquoise from the opposite side. "C'mon, guys!" She summoned her whip before wrapping an arm around Pearl and Topaz. She allowed her whip to wrap around the Spire, where it bevame caught on a window. The Gems crossed over to the other side, just as Peter had done before them.

"Don't ever do that again!" Pearl said the moment her feet hit the ground.

"Sorry," Peter muttered. Pearl sighed.

"But it was pretty great."

* * *

The Gems continued to walk through the Sea Spire. It seemed like calm, peaceful mission. Or at least it would have been if Pearl wasn't pointing out every bit of damage done to the Spire.

"Oh, no, no, no, this is even worse than the outside. Ugh... that's...!" she kept on repeating. "Oh, this didn't used to be so— Oh, and the water damage. This pillar... Oh, and this had a head…" She came to a stop at the Headless statue, Peter behind her. "Oh, Peter, once the statue's in place, it'll restore all of this to its former glory— aaah!" Pearl was cut off when she saw a grub-like creature crawling over the statue. In her panic, she summoned her spear and cut the statue down.

"What was that?" Peter asked. Pearl gave a look of disgust as the statue fell into the waters below.

"Crystal Shrimp," she answered.

"You guys, we got a problem!" Turquoise's voice called out from up ahead. Peter and Pearl ran up the stairs to meet Topaz and Turquoise. Blocking their path were hundreds of crystal shrimp.

"It's an infestation," grimaced Pearl. "And we have to pass through there to get to the top." Peter looked down as one of the shrimp passed him.

"Can't you just squish 'em?" he asked, preparing to step on it. Pearl responded by pushing the Crystal shrimp with her spear.

"Don't touch that, their shards are deadly!" Pearl pulled Peter closer to her.

"We need to clear a path," said Pearl once she calmed down. Using her Gem, she projected a hologram of Turquoise, moving it according to her word. "Turquoise, if you go around to the side and disturb them with a spin attack…" Pearl projected Topaz moving up towards the ceiling, an X beside her. "And Topaz, if you move to the ceiling and strike this exact spot…" She projected herself. "Then I can advance with my…"

"Sandwich!" shouted Peter. Pearl looked at him in confusion. Peter took out two sandwiches from his backpack and flung them out of their designated path. The shrimp proceed to crowd around the sandwiches and start to eat them, leaving a clear path for the Gems.

"Nice one," commented Topaz.

"Oh hey, what do you know?" added Turquoise. The gems moved on forward as Pearl cut off her projection. She ran to cawtch up with them.

"How did you know that would work?" she asked Peter.

"Well, if I were a shrimp, that's what I would do," Peter replied. Turquoise ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"You are a shrimp," she said.

* * *

The Gems kept on walking. They were near the top when they came across a river too wide for them to jump across.

"What are we gonna do?" asked Turquoise. All eyes fell on Peter.

"What? Me?" he questioned, slightly confused.

"Vhat have you got?" Topaz asked.

"Cheeseburger backpack! Cheeseburger backpack!" Turquoise began to chant. Peter nervously reached into his backpack. "Pearl, c'mon."

"No," Pearl stated firmly. "I refuse.

"Pearl!"

"Turquoise, you can't make me do something I don't want to. We established this long ago."

"Fine." Turquoise went back to her chant. "Cheeseburger backpack! Cheeseburger backpack! Cheeseburger backpack!" Peter smiled as he found what he was looking for.

"A raft!" he said, pulling in the raft's handle to inflate it.

"Peter, that's actually quite sensible," said Pearl. Peter placed the raft in the water. It quickly floated away, and went over the side of the Spire. Pearl and Turquoise groaned. Topaz kicked one of the Spire's pillar and one end lands on the other side of the river, forming a bridge.

"Good idea anyvay, Peter," Topaz told the boy as they crosses over the bridge.

"Yeah, they can't all be winners," added Turquoise.

* * *

The Gems climbed higher in the Sea Spira. At long last, the made it to the top. Peter stared in awe as the Gems approach the pedestal in the middle of the room.

"This is it. The Moon Goddess pedestal," Pearl said. She sounded enthusiastic. "And the moon is almost overhead! It's not too late to save this piece of history!"

"Peter, zhe statue," Topaz asked, holding out her hand. Peter nodded. He stuck his hand in his backpack, digging around for it. It took him almost half a minute to realize his rave error.

"What's the hold-up?" asked Turquoise at the prolonged wait.

"I don't have it!" shouted Peter. The Gems gasped.

"What?!" exclaimed Pearl.

"I must have left it on the bed!" The Gems look at the moon. It was close to shining down upon them.

"There's... there's no time…" Peter refused to give up.

"Wait!" he said as he reached into his backpack. "I have an idea!" He pulled out his stuffed toy. The Gems remained silent for a moment.

"Could that work?" Turquoise asked. Topaz responded with a simple shrug. Either way, Peter walked up to the pedestal and placed the toy carefully upon it. The moon beamed a ray of light onto it. The toy floats up towards the moon. Only a few feet up, the toy began violently shaking. It exploded. The Gems screamed.

The Spire began to shake itself. Cracks began forming in the ground. The waterfalls that surrounded them started to close in on the Spire.

"Everyone, keep steady!" yelled Topaz over the rumble of water. Pearl lost her footing, falling into Topaz's hold. Peter began to slip.

"Topaz! Pearl! Turquoise!" he cried out, hoping someone would hear. Turquoise caught Peter by the wrist just before he fell over the edge. She pulled him tightly towards her chest.

The cracks in the Spire separated, and so were the Gems. Each piece collapsed until all that was left was a calm sea. The surface of the water broke as Peter and the Gems made it to the surface.

"This is all my fault," Peter said, taking in all the air he could. "I broke it."

"No, Peter, the Spire was falling apart when we got here," said Pearl. She was still clinging onto Topaz. "You handled everything well under pressure. You did great!"

"Yeah, two out of four of your ideas worked," Turquoise added. She swam over to him. "That's fifty percent." Peter smiled a bit.

"Yeah. I guess you're right. Like you said, they can't all be winners," he said.

Just then, the raft Peter had lost earlier bobbed up to the surface. Topaz pulled Pearl off of her and dropped her into the raft before climbing in herself. She pulled Turquoise and Peter in.

"Let's get home quickly," said Pearl, wringing water out of one of her pigtails. "Peter's going to get sick if he's in those wet clothes any longer."

"Pearl, you do realize it's a three-hour paddle home?" said Topaz, shaking the water from her tangled mane. The gems were quiet until Peter went into his backpack and pulled out a sandwich.

"Anyone want a wet sandwich?" he asked.

* * *

 _ **In the next episode, Peter attempts to get the Crystal Gems to take part in his special breakfast tradition, but instead finds himself tumbling through the magical rooms of the Crystal Temple.**_


	4. Together Breakfast

**Episode 4: Together Breakfast**

* * *

The sun was creeping over the horizon. After being sick the past few days, Peter was delighted to find that his sinuses were clear and his fever was gone when he woke with the sun.

Peter found he was alone that morning. There were no Gems to come and greet him or check on his well being. So, he decided to plan a little surprise.

Peter headed into the kitchen and a few minutes later, had a massive stack of waffles sitting in front of him. He stared over at the door that lead to the inside of the temple. He wanted to share his creation with the Gems. After a while, Peter got up and knocked on the door himself.

"Pearl, Topaz, Turquoise?" he called out, hoping someone would hear him. "Is anyone home?" When there was no response, Peter headed back into the kitchen.

Peter added a bag of popcorn to the waffles. When he was done, he stared at the crystalline warp pad.

"One, two, three: Warp in!" Nothing happened. Peter sighed. "I guess they're still out saving the world."

* * *

During his wait for the Gems, Peter added more to his breakfast, including a can of whipped cream and a strawberry on top.

"It's done!" said Peter proudly. No one was there but himself to say anything. He sighed, leaning up against the counter. His eyes fell on the breakfast he had made. "That thing's too good for me to eat alone. It's a... 'Together Breakfast'. I wish the Gems would hurry up and-" Peter was cut off by the sound of the warp pad activating. In warped Topaz, carrying a dark colored scroll under her arms.

"Topaz!" Peter called out before Topaz could enter the temple. He took the breakfast from off the counter and rushed over to her.

"Good morning, Peter," said Topaz. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" Peter shook his head.

"No. I'm feeling a whole lot better. But…" Peter held up the breakfast stack. "Check it out! It's not exactly healthy, but it's in a stack, so I guess you could say, it's a balanced breakfast?" Topaz gave no response to Peter's joke. "I made us all breakfast. I thought we could eat together. Like, like a family!"

"As much as I vant to, I can't stay," said Topaz. "Zhere's stuff to do to inside zhe temple." Topaz turned to the temple door, holding out her gems to the star shaped lock. The two green and dark blue gems on the bottoms lit up at her touch, opening the door.

"Business? Like what?" Peter asked.

"I have to burn zhis." Topaz unfurled the scroll to show Peter. Mystic symbols were drawn all over it, and Peter could hear whispering coming from the scroll.

"Cool!" Peter took a picture of the scroll with the phone he had in his pocket. Topaz snatcged it away before he could see the licture.

"And now I have to burn zhis, too," she said simply before heading backing into the temple. The door closed behind her.

"Topaz!" Peter put the breakfast back on the counter. He ran back to the door, trying to get it to open as Topaz had. His gem produced no glow, and his mother's gem on the lock didn't light up. "Door, open, door!" Nothing worked. Peter looked down at his gem as he walked away from the door. "You never work when I need it."

Peter had just reached the kitchen again when the front door opened. Turquoise rushed in, carrying a water gun in her hands.

"Dumb Police!" she shouted. "You're dumb!" Without looking at where she was aiming, Turquoise fired a stream of water towards Peter's creation. Peter jumped in front of the water blast to keep it from hitting the breakfast. Instead, it hit his chest and soaked his shirt.

"Oh man, I totally got you!" Turquoise laughed. "You should've seen the look on your face!" Peter walked over to the closet, digging around for a clean shirt. "Uh, shouldn't you be in bed, sick nugget?" Peter shook his head.

"No," he replied. "I'm feeling a whole lot better." Turquoise walked over to him.

"You've got something on your shirt," She said. Peter looked down at his shirt. Turquoise hit him with another blast of water and laughed. Peter pulled off the wet t-shirt in exchange for a dry one.

As he pulled the shirt over his head, Pearl emerged from the temple from Turquoise's room. She held a sword in her hands. Turquoise dropped the water gun when she saw where Pearl had come from.

"Hey, that's my door!" Turquoise exclaimed.

"Oh, Turquoise, there you are," said Pearl, taking note of Turquoises presence in the room. "Care to explain what one of my swords was doing in your room?"

"Uh, duh. Having a sword party," said Turquoise as if the answer was obvious.

"Oh please, you took it!"

"I did not!" Pearl narrowed her eyes as she stared at Turquoise. "I swear, this time I didn't touch it!"

"It's fine," Pearl sighed. "It's in the past, I forgive you." She turned back towards the temple. "Also, I cleaned up your awful, awful mess. You're welcome."

"You did what?!" Turquoise shouted. "I have a system!" She ran into the temple. The door sealed shut behind her.

"Turquoise, wait!" Peter called out, but it had been too late. The only one who had heard him had been Pearl.

"What's the matter, Peter?" she asked. "Are you feeling alright? Your illness isn't getting worse is it?" Peter shook his head.

"No. I'm fine but…" Peter trailed off as he walked over to the kitchen counter. "I wanted us all to have breakfast together. So I made together breakfast. But everyone keeps leaving." Pearl was already at the temple door.

"That's nice," she said as she opened the temple door to her room. She hadn't even been listening to Peter.

"Oh no, not you too! I can't let this become together brunch!" Peter grabbed the breakfast from off of the table as Pearl entered the temple. He ran towards the door. He held the door open long enough for him to slip inside of Pearl's room.

Needless to say, when Peter entered Pearl's room he was left speechless. He had never been inside the temple before.

Pearl's room was of crystal pools and rushing waterfalls. It was calm and peaceful. Peter found it a bit strange, since Pearl rarely ever went in deep water.

Pearl herself was up on a higher waterfall, surrounded by her swords. She replaced the missing sword she had retrieved from Turquoise's room back where it belonged.

"Hey, Pearl!" shouted Peter. Pearl lost her concentration at the sound of Peter's voice. The swords dropped into the water. Pearl whirled around.

"Peter!" she yelled, a majority of it done by surprise. "What are you doing in here? You know it's dangerous for you inside the temple!" Peter was to determined to listen to her.

"We're going to have a nice together breakfast, even if I have to get my shoes wet," he said before stepping into the pool created by Pearl's waterfalls.

"What?! Get out of there!" Peter ignored to demands of his guardian.

"I'll swim it over to you." Peter began to swim over to the center where Pearl was. As he got closer, a waterfall opened below him and began to pull him with the current.

"Peter!" Pearl shrieked. Peter fell down the twisting waterfall, moving every which way before he landed in the bottom pool. Lucky for him, both himself and his breakfast creation had been unharmed.

Peter swam up to the edge of the pool. The new room he was in was in need of cleaning. Mountains of various objects were stacked on top of one another, weaving in-between smaller pools. Peter pulled himself up on the edge of the pool. He could see kicked over a smaller stack of junk.

"Better…" she said with a satisfied smirk.

"Turquoise!" Peter shouted as he ran up to her. Turquoise turned around.

"Oh, hey, Peter. Did you come down the waterfall?" asked the teal Gem. "Pearl gets so mad that I have her junk, but it's always falling down here."

"Junk like what?"

"Junk like... you!" Turquoise picked up Peter without hesitation or a second thought and tosses him a junk pile. Turquoise sighed as Peter climbed down. "Isn't it awful? Pearl organized everything."

"Still looks messy to me," said Peter.

"Thanks. I try. Boom!" Turquoise kicked small pile over. That's when her eyes got sight of the breakfast. "What's that Peter?"

"It's a together breakfast," Peter answered simply.

"Alright, snacks!" Turquoise made a grab for the food, but missed when Peter pulled it out of her reach.

"No! It's for everyone to eat together. That's the essence of together breakfast."

"Come on, Peter! You know that none of us are going to-" Turquoise stopped midsentence when she saw Peter's hurt expression. "Wait, I didn't mean-"

Peter took off running down a corridor. Turquoise raced after him.

* * *

Peter ran. He didn't know where he was going, and frankly he didn't care. He could hear Turquoise's steps and voice from behind.

"Peter, wait!" Turquoise called, trying her best to get him to slow down or even come to a stop. "You can't outrun me, and we both know it!"

Peter didn't listen to her. The only reason he did end up coming to a stop was when he ran into a room full of floating platforms.

"Peter!" echoed Turquoise's voice. Peter began jumping across the platforms. By the time he reached the final one, Turquoise had caught up to him.

"Come back! I didn't mean it!" she began jumping towards him. Peter started running again.

"You don't get it!" Peter shouted as he ran into a room full of tubes. He tooked a jump, latching onto one of the tubes. Turquoise caught up to him once again, coming to a screeching hault.

"Hey, wait a second!" she said, her tone full of alarm. At that moment, Pearl entered from the other side of the room. She looked just as worried as Turquoise.

"Peter, there you are!" she said. Peter's mood lightened.

"Two out of three," he muttered to himself.

"Peter, be careful!" Pearl shouted. Peter snapped to attention.

"Why?" He followed Pearl's gaze to what laid about him. It was a giant heart made of crystal.

"You really shouldn't be in here, this is the Crystal Heart. It's connected to the most dangerous areas of the temple!" Pearl's voice cracked near the end of her sentence. "Hold on tight, and don't look down." Unfortunately, Peter did the exact opposite of what he had been told. He stared down the empty chasm below him. His grip loosened and he slid down the tube- or vein- and down into the abyss with Turquoise and Pearl shouting after him.

* * *

Peter shut his eyes tightly as he slid down into darkness. He didn't open his eyes until he slowed to a stop. Warmth hit his face. He looked at the new room he was in.

It was rocky, and several crystal veins were plastered to the walls. Hundreds of different colored bubbles were suspended in midair, each of them holding a gem. In the center of the room was a crater filled with lava.

Topaz stood by the lava, holding the scroll and Peter's phone. She snapped the phone in half and dropped it in. With determination, Peter slid down the vein. Topaz took out the scroll and begins to burn it within a bubble. From above, Turquoise and Pearl dropped down with a near silent tap.

"Peter, we're getting you out of here," said Pearl in a harsh whisper.

"Come on," said Turquoise in at the same volume.

"No!" said Peter, raising his voice to a yell. "I just want us to be all together!" Topaz jumped. Her bubble flickered, the smoke caught in it almost escaping. While the other Gems froze like deer in headlights, Peter remained oblivious to the obvious. "We can finally eat! I mean, we don't have any forks, but we can use our hands!"

"Peter, you can't be in here!" snapped Topaz as she tried to keep her bubble stable. "It's too dangerous for you!"

"Okay, want to meet in the kitchen?" Topaz's bubble popped.

In the next instant, the smoke monster escaped and expanded. Gems summoned their weapons. Turquoise and Pearl pushed Peter behind them.

"It's trying to escape! Force it back!" Topaz ordered. The Gems leapt into the fight, pushing the monster back and dealing damage the best they could. The smoke whizzed around the room before settling it's target as Peter. Peter ducked down. Inside of hitting the half-Gem, it hit the breakfast creation. Peter was knocked to the ground.

"Peter!" shouted the Gems.

The breakfast plate shook as Peter scrambled back towards the Gems.

The breakfast transformed into a massive monster of its ingredients. It wrapped Peter in its syrup. Pearl stabbed its arm with her spear. Peter dropped to the ground.

"It's taken refuge in organic matter!" she exclaimed. The monster turned on her and struck. Pearl became encased in a gooey mixture of whipped cream and syrup

"Now it has all zhe power of a breakfast," Topaz said, finishing Pearl's statement. "Ve have to destroy it!"

"Get me out of here!" Turquoise turned her whip towards the mass trapping Pearl, multitasking between cutting her free and fighting the monster.

"I didn't want this!" cried out Peter. "I just wanted to eat together like, like a family would!"

"Peter, you've got to get away. Now!" said Topaz. She hit the monster, but only got her arm caught in its mass. "Go!"

"But-!" The monster launched a giant waffle at both Topaz and Turquoise. It forced them back, and trapped them against the wall. Peter got to his feet.

"That's... enough! I... don't care if you... are the most important meal of the day!" Peter said as he dashed forward. He ran into the monster, using his strength to force him backwards. "I made you to bring us together... not to tear us apart!"

Peter pushed monster one final time. It fell into the lava. The monster shrieked as it burned. The Gems cut themselves free as Peter collapsed in front of the lava pool as the Gems crowded around him. He looked up.

"I'm sorry," he told them. "I guess I dream too big." The Gems exchanged looks with each other before looking back at Peter. Topaz held out her hand.

"Let's see if ve can make zhat dream a reality," she said. Peter took her hand and stood up.

"And let's get you cleaned up…" Pearl added, tugging on Peter's syrupy sleeve.

* * *

As soon as Peter was clean once more, he and the Gems recreated the breakfast he had made, twice in size.

"It looks great! It's even more together and even more breakfast!" said Peter, a whole lot lighter in tone. However, no one touched it. They were all unwilling to even touch it.

"I don't think I can eat this," Peter said at last.

"Let's order a Chinese food," Turquoise said. Both Peter and Pearl nodded in agreement.

"It did try to kill us," added Topaz.

* * *

 **In the next episode, Peter helps someone with their horrible job by using a magical gem shard that can bring clothing to life.**


	5. Fryboy

**Episode 5: Fryboy**

* * *

The sky was a dull haze that day. Most of Heta City's residents were inside, dressed in the warm clothes of the fall. Peter, however, was slightly underdressed as he couldn't find his pants.

"Where are you?" Peter muttered to himself as he rummaged through the laundry. "You're a mess, Peter." Peter didn't notice Pearl enter his room from the temple. In her hand, she held seven Gem shards in one of her bubbles. She seemed to be looking for an eighth shard. She saw Peter.

"Peter, have you seen a Gem Shard anywhere?" she asked him. "It's very important."

"No, but have you seen my pants?" Peter responded. "They're also very important."

"I'm serious, Peter. These Shards have a powerful partial consciousness that has been harnessed by Gems throughout history in order to create semi-sentient drone soldiers with the capacity to follow basic orders," Pearl began explaining. As Pearl explained about the Gem Shards capability, Peter became distracted by his missing pants.

 _'They weren't in the kitchen either... under the bed! No wait, I looked there too_ ,' Peter thought to himself. ' _And then Pearl walked in…_ ' Peter gasped in his mind. ' _Pearl_!'

"Gems once created an army of these drones, but found their obedience waned as the shards overdeveloped inside their uniforms and turned on their commanders," Pearl continued.

 _'Oh jeez, she's really explaining something…_ '

"You see, any shard imprinted by any kind of container could become a monster. That's why it's very, very important it's kept away from any kind of garment…"

 _'I can't just start listening now, I'd be lost! ... Just like m_ _y pants…_ '

"If you see it, bring it to me, right away," said Pearl as Peter snapped from his thoughts. She headed to the front door. "I'm going to check in town." Pearl opened the front door and left.

"For my pants?" said Peter, but Pearl was gone. "I guess I'll keep looking here."

Peter continued to search through the house for his missing pants. He stopped halfway through when he saw something walking by him out of the corner of his eye. He looked up. His pants were walking on their own.

"That's unusual!" shouted Peter. He raced after his pants, chasing them throughout the house. He jumped on top of them, pinning them to the floor. His pants wriggled from his grasp. "What's gotten into you?" He felt something in the pocket. Keeping one arm planted on his pants, Peter managed to remove what was in his pocket. It was a shard of a broken Gem. As soon as Peter held the shard, his pants lay still. Peter quickly pulled them on and looked down at the Gem shard.

"Is this Pearl's shard thing?" he asked himself. He snatched up a loose sock to trap it. The sock repeatedly smacked him in the face as the Gem shard took over. "Ow, ow, stop!" The sock stopped. "Oh... thanks! I gotta get you to Pearl." Peter put the sock in his backpack, grabbed his sweatshirt and raced out the door.

* * *

Peter jogged down the Boardwalk, looking for his Gem Guardian.

"Hey, Pearl! Pearl!" shouted Peter, with no reply. He slowed to a stop. "She must still be looking for my pants…" In the next moment, Peter yelled as a person in a fry costume rushed forward, knocking Peter to the ground in an attempt to get rid if the seagulls attacking him. The person practically ripped off the head of the costume and began using it as a weapon to get the seagulls away from him.

"I'm not food!" he shouted. The seagulls flew away as soon as the man threw the top half of the costume to the ground. Peter sat up as the door of a familiar food stand on the Boardwalk opened. Allister stood in the doorway. He stared at the man inside the costume.

"Where's your face Fryboy?" he said to him. "Being part of this family means you gotta help me in the stand... and be my brother, which you are. So, you're already halfway there. Keep at it, boy!" Allister began closing the door. Peter could hear him snickering into his hand.

"I'm C…" The costumed man began, but Allister closed the door. "... ole. Allister you're such an-" Peter stood up. He recognized the man by his voice and sweaty dirty blonde hair  
"Hi, Cole!" he said with a smile. Cole stopped mid sentence. He turned around as Peter jogged up to him. "What's going on?" Cole sighed.

"When I told Allister I needed a job, I didn't think it meant being stuck in Dylan's sweaty old costume," said Cole. He pulled off the rest of the suit. The clothes he was wearing underneath had sweat stains in them. "Things used to be different, Peter, nothing to worry about back then except making myself dizzy on the old seahorse ride at Funland like when I was a kid."

"Cole, you're hilarious…" laughed Peter. Cole gave him a look. "You weren't joking, were you?" Cole sighed.

"I wish there was a way for this costume to do its job without me in it." Peter got an idea.

"Maybe it can, Cole... Maybe it can…"

* * *

Peter's idea was that he would wear the suit. Unfortunately, the boy was both too small to wear the costume and kept getting attacked by seagulls.

The Fryboy suit, empty, now sat on the Boardwalk in decrepit state with a seagull pecking at it. Peter stared down at it.

"Wait!" he said. "I have another idea." Peter took out theGem shard from his backpack. He shooed the birds away from the suit. Peter dropped the shard in the costume and stood back. In the next instant, the costume repaired itself, and began rolling around the Boardwalk. Cole stared at the suit in amazement.

"Stop!" shouted Peter as the suit began rolling away. Fryboy stopped.

" This is unbelievable!" exclaimed Cole. "Get up!" Fryboy positioned itself upright.

"Do a little dance!" ordered Peter. Fryboy created legs out of fries and danced for them. Peter and Cole looked disgusted.

Allister opened door again to witness the scene. He couldn't know that Cole was not in the costume. Cole quickly ducked behind a bench.

"It's about ti— I mean, good job!" said Allister. "That's what I'm talking about, Fryboy, ha ha. Keep it up!" As soon as Allister closed the door, Fryboy stopped.

"Free, I'm free!" said Cole as he emerged from his hiding place. "You've got the job, Fryboy, let's shake on it!" Cole extended his hand to Fryboy. Fryboy picked him up and literally shook him. Peter laughed.

"He's got jokes!" he said.

"Ok, no more shaking. Put me down," said Cole, sounding nauseated. Fryboy complied with the wish. "Just, go make people eat fries." Fryboy ran off and Cole turned to Peter. "Let's go be idiots!" Cole took Peter by arm and ran off with the half-Gem in tow.

* * *

Cole and Peter spent most of the day doing just that. Being idiots. They sat outside the arcade on the mechanical rides. Cole, being on the brink of being a legal adult, looked disappointed.

"This seahorse used to make me so happy. Now it's just giving me whiplash," said Cole as the ride came to a stop. "I feel like there's just no point to it, you know what I mean?" Peter shook his head.  
"I just feel tingly!" he said. Cole sighed.

"You'll understand when you have a job." Peter jerked as the ride stopped.

"I do have a job, I protect humanity from magic and monsters and stuff!" Peter explained. "At least… once I get better with my Gem powers."

"I mean a real job, that you get paid for."

"I'm paid in the smiles across the town's faces. And the safety of everyone. Kind of."

"I don't see anyone smiling. You pick up a job to buy a house, or raise kids, or to…" Cole sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "impress your family. You work away your life, and what does it get you?"

"Smiles on faces?" guessed Peter, knowing full well his answer was wrong.

"No!" snapped Cole. "You get cash. Cash that can't buy back what the job takes... not if you rode every seahorse in the world." Cole sighed for a third time. Peter felt like a train had hit him. The silence between him and Cole was only broken when both of them snapped up, hearing a scream in the distance.

"That came from the shop!" said Cole. They both got off of the rides and raced down to the shop.

* * *

Peter and Cole were not prepared for what they saw. Fryboy was attacking innocent residents, with people running away in terror. Fryboy dragged them back with fry tendrils.

"We didn't tell him to do that, did we tell him to do that?!" said a panicked Cole. Both of them ducked when a table came crashing through the window. They made their way over to the shattered window, looking inside.

Fryboy stood with several captured people inside the stand. Veins were protruding all over his face as he shoved fries into the mouths of his victims.

"Fryboy, stop!" shouted Peter, standing at his full height. Fryboy turned and the boys flinched. A hostage was thrown at them and they ducked.

"Why isn't he listening?!" yelled Cole.

"I don't know!" Due to the commotion, Allister emerged from the back of the shop. He still thought it was Cole inside the suit.

"Cole, where's all this coming from?!" exclaimed the store's owner before he was ensnared in Fryboy's trap. "I get it, I pushed you too hard." Allister's voice had become strained. "I thought you wanted to be as good as you could be, you're a tough kid for putting up with it as long as you did! The truth is: You're a valued member of Kirkland Brothers Incorporated and all its affiliates!" Fryboy picked him up and repeated the actions he had done to all of his victims on Allister.

"Allister!" shouted Cole. He attempted to get in through the window, but was held back by Peter.

"No!" yelled Peter as he pulled Cole away from the window. "He'll mash your potatoes!"

"What are you going to do?" asked Cole.

"My job!" Before Peter could do anything, Fryboy threw Allister through the window. He promptly lands onto the boys, immobilizing them and knocking Allister unconscious.

Just in time, Pearl entered with other shards as Fryboy left the shop to deal with Peter and Cole. Pearl looked both terrified and disgusted with the suit.

"Peter!" she snapped at her ward, "Did you put my missing shard in that costume?"

"Yes!" answered Peter.

"Didn't you hear what I said about the living armor and infantries and many, many deaths?!"

"No!"

"Oh my Diamond, Peter." Holding the bubble in one hand, Pearl summoned her spear. She threw it, spearing Fryboy in the eye. Instead of blood, the eye burst and bled profusely with ketchup and mustard. The blast hit Pearl, blinding her as the condiments covered her glasses. She dropped the bubbled shards in surprise. The bubble popped, scattered the Gem Shards on the Boardwalk. Cole rolled Allister off of him and Peter.

"Pearl!" shouted Peter as he rushed towards her.

"It's everywhere, I can't see!" said Pearl, hurriedly trying to clean her glasses. It didn't work, as the ketchup covered her hands. Peter looked down at the shards at their feet.

"Shards... Need!" He grabbed the shards and ran off.

"Peter?"

Meanwhile, Cole was attempting to wake up Allister.

"Allister!" he said, shaking the elder. "Get up!"

Fryboy emerged from the wreckage, spear in eye, and approached the Kirkland Brothers. Cole seized a broken plank and confronted it as Allister slowly regained consciousness.

"Go away!" shouted Cole as he swung at the monster.

"What the… Cole?" Allister muttered.

"You are awful! I hate you, I've always hated you!"

"Cole!"

Fryboy disarmed Cole. The blonde fell back, falling directly into Allister's arms. Fryboy approached and the two were trapped.

Out of nowhere, a pair of pants came into the fray, a Gem shard in its pocket and kicked Fryboy. Everyone looked in the direction of whence it came.

"Peter!" shouted Cole and Allister.

"Where?!" asked Pearl, still blinded.

Peter appeared in just his underwear. There were Gem shards in each of his clothing. His socks, shirt, pants, shoes, and sweatshirt stand beside him.

"Your move, Fryboy," said Pter. "Fryboy charged forward. "Attack!" Peter's garments each attacked Fryboy, besting it in combat. But the combined strength was unable to pin down the suit. Fryboy managed to get to Peter and knock him to the ground.

"I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice," muttered Peter. "Underwear, go!"

Peter's underwear flew off of him. It gave the clothes enough strength to keep Fryboy down. A naked Peter ran up and jumped on top of Fryboy. He reached into it mouth and ripped out the Gem shard possessing the suit. Fryboy remained still.

Pearl, still blinded, reached around for Peter, but found Allister instead.

"Peter, are you alright?" she asked. Cole and Allister looked at each other.

"Fine," Allister replied. He handed a small rag to Pearl. "Here." Pearl removed her glasses and began cleaning them off as Peter ran up to her.

"I'm okay," he said. "As soon as I bared my butt, I knew he'd crack."

* * *

After cleaning up themselves, the Boardwalk, and the shop, the group of Allister, Cole, Peter and Pearl gathered at the 's garments prepared to send the Fryboy suit out to sea on a makeshift raft while Peter and others look on. Peter had wrapped himself up in a towel. wrapped up in a blanket.

"You were great, Fryboy," said Allister as the clothes began to place the raft on the water's edge. "Not really, though. The kids loved you."

"Weren't people scared of it before he attacked them?" Pearl whispered to Peter. Peter shushed her.

"It's time to send him off," said Allister as he took out a lighter. He lit Fryboy on fire, as Pearl, using the end of her spear, along with Peter's clothing, pushed it out to sea. He sighed. "As greasy in death as he was in life."

"Al?" asked Cole. Allister looked over at him. "Uhm… I'll… are you going to get another costume?"

"I don't need another costume." He put an arm around Cole. "I got you. Besides, I've wanted to burn that thing since Dylan left." As the two brothers left, Peter took the chance to make a hero's pose.

"Pearl, I think our work here is done," he said, proud of his work. Pearl looked over at him, a frown on her face.

"Put your clothes on, Peter," she said before making her way back to the temple. "And give me those Gem shards before something else happens!"

"I will! I learned my lesson!"

* * *

Peter spent the rest of the evening chasing after the Gem shards in his clothes.

* * *

 **In the next episode, Peter attempts to master the power of shape shifting, but can only manage to shape shift his fingers into tiny cat heads.**


	6. Cat Fingers

**Episode 6: Cat Fingers**

* * *

It was one of those days were a family could have a moment together. Even if they were just a small family of two.

Peter and his father were outside of Tino's clinic, and in between them was a rather large dog.

"Almost done!" said Tino as he placed a hose on the ground. "Peter, dry his back!"

"Backing it up!" said Peter. He picked up a dry towel and began rubbing the dog's back.

"Back it good! This is a high-profile job."

"You mean cause it's the mayor's dog?" Tino nodded.

"If we do this right, we might get political favors!"

"I'm not sure what that is, but I like it!" Peter picked up the hose. To his surprise, it was still running because when he picked it up, a jet of water shot out and struck his father. Tino picked up another hose beside him. While Peter thought his dad would be mad at him, instead Tino sprayed water right back at Peter. They quickly got off the task at hand as they began spraying water at each other. Their laughter filled the air.

A sharp whistle cut through the laughter as the water fight eased down. An older man had dissipated their fun. The man was deeply tanned, and both his hair and eyes are a dark brown. He had two wild curls in his hair.

"I'm not paying for father-son bonding here!" said the man. Peter didn't notice who he was, and had sprayed him in the face by jered Peter back towards him.

"Väinämöinen!" seethed the older man as he wiped the water from his face. "Control that boy." Tino laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry, Mayor Vargas," he said quickly. "This one's free."

"Free?" repeated Mayor Vargas. He thought for a moment before calling his dog over to him. "I like the way you do business, Väinämöinen." Tino sighed in relief as Heta City's mayor walked away satisfied.

"Political favors!" Peter said excitedly. Tino messed up Peter's hair further.

"Enough with the hose fights!" said Tino. Peter gave him a nod.

"Okay." Suddenly, both Peter and Tino were splashed by a stream of water. Looking down, they saw a blue-green cat holding a hose.

"What the?" The cat began to chase them around. It repeated sprayed the pair with water. "What is with this cat?" The cat seemed to snicker. The cat's form shifted briefly into a being of light before turning into Turquoise. She laughed as Peter stared at her with wide eyes.

"Got you guys!" said Turquoise as she spat the hose into her hand and stood up.

"Uh, pretty cool, Turquoise," said Tino. He sounded uncomfortable.

"Really cool!" Peter said joyfully. "I didn't know Gems could shapeshift! I wish I could do it!"

"You could probably learn," said Turquoise as she tossed the hose to the side. Peter's expression lit up like a star.

"Really?"

"Sure." Turquoise pulled up Peter's shirt to reveal his Gem. "You've got a gem."

"Magic stuff," Tino muttered under his looked at Turquoise and Peter. "Should I get out of here? Is there going to be an explosion?"

"It's no big deal dad," said Peter as he lowered his shirt. Turquoise took the liberty to shapeshift into Peter.

"Yeah, it's fine," she said, leaning up against Peter.

* * *

After scaring Tino with her shapeshifting, Turquoise and Peter headed back to the Temple. All along the way, Turquoise kept showing Peter her shapeshifting. As they entered Peter's house, they found Pearl waiting for them.

"Hey Pearl," said Turquoise before she shapeshifted into a seal, earning a laugh from Peter.

"Do more!" asked Peter.

"Check it out." Turquoise took the opportunity to show off. She shifted her form into a wolf, a ladybug and a bird before she perched on Peter's shoulder. Pearl rolled her eyes.

"Turquoise, you're overdoing it," she said.

"Uh, chill it dude," said Turquoise. She flew off of Peter's shoulder before reverting back to her humanoid form.

"Just because you can shapeshift, doesn't mean you should."

"Can you shapeshift?" Peter asked Pearl. Pearl looked down at Peter. She hesitated before giving an answer.

"Well of course…" she said, "But…" Turquoise cut Pearl off by shapeshifting into her fellow Gem.

"Well of course I can, I'm perfect!" said Turquoise, doing an imitation of Pearl's accent. She smacked her own butt. "WOMP! WOMP!" Pearl groaned as she pushed Turquoise to the side. Turquoise laughed.

"All Gems have shapeshift powers, Peter," Pearl began to explain. She projected a hologram from her gem as a visual aid. "We can turn into objects, we can change parts of our bodies or... we could do that." She glared over at Turquoise, who was still smacking her butt.

"I want to try it all!" said an excited Peter.

"What's that saying?" muttered Pearl. "Oh right. Don't bite off more than you can chew, Peter." Turquoise smacked her butt. Pearl groaned before storming out of the house. Turquoise shifted back into her normal form.

"Alright!" said Peter as he bounced on the balls of his heels. "Show me how to change into a, uh, huge lion!"

"Actually, for once Pearl is right," said Turquoise. She knelt down to Peter's level. "If you're gonna do this, you've gotta start with something easy."

"Like that cat you turned into?" Turquoise nodded.

"That sounds good. Now follow my lead." Turquoise stood up. "First, think of what you wanna be, and then, just shake it out." Turquoise drew a breath and shook her body. It turned into a mass of light before taking the form of the cat she was earlier. "See? Now your turn." Peter nodded.

"Okay," he said. He took a deep breath, repeating what Turquoise had done. "Caaatttt!" Nothing happened.

"Nah, you're too tense. Just relax and feel it. Bio-rhythms, yo." Peter pressed his fingertips to his temples.

"Feeeelll it." Once again, nothing happened.

"If you're not ready, we can try later."

"No, wait!" said Peter, trying to keep himself calm. "I can do it." Turquoise shapeshifted back into humanoid look. Peter calmed down and repeated what he had been shown. After a moment or two, nothing changed.

"Well, it was a good try," said Turquoise. "Maybe we could try again la-" Turquoise was cut off by a soft meow. Out of curiosity, Peter opened his previously balled up hands. He had managed to transform on me of his fingers into a cat. Turquoise laughed happily at Peter's achievement.

"This is so cool!" said Peter.

"You should go show your dad," suggested Turquoise. "He's gonna freak out!" the cat finger meowed in agreement.

* * *

Peter took Turquoise's suggestion. He raced down to his dad's clinic, keeping his cat finger a secret. When he arrived, he spotted his dad cleaning up from earlier.

"Dad, I'm back!" said Peter. Tino turned to his son.

"Hey, Peter," he said.

"Check it out!" Peter showed Tino his hand. Tino dropped the bucket of water he held. Droplets of water splashed on Peter and his cat finger. The cat finger hissed in pain. "I shapeshifted my finger into a cat!"

"Is, is that a thing you can do now?" Tino immediately became uncomfortable. "That's pretty... cool."

"I know, right! I'm gonna take this show on the road!" Peter began laughing. His Cat finger seemed to do similar.

* * *

Peter wandered around the town. The first stop was the convenience store to show Mathias and Lovise his cat.

He waited patiently as Lovise rang up his order upon his arrival.

"That'll be a dollar 'o five Peter," she said. Peter gave her a small nod.

"Mm, okay. Here's a nickel," said Peter as he slid the coin on the counter. "And a buck!" Peter held up his cat finger, which was holding a dollar bill in its mouth. It meowed.

"What!?" exclaimed both Mathias and Lovise in surprise.  
"Peter, that's a bit creepy… but it's kind of adorable," said Lovise. She reached out to take the dollar. The cat finger dropped the money on the counter ad took interest in rubbing up against Lovise's hand. It began to purr. "Are… you making it purr?"

"It kinda does what it wants," explained Peter.

"Really?" asked Mathias. He reached out to touch the cat finger himself. To everyone's shock, the cat finger bit him.

"See what I mean?" said Peter, retracting his hand. "Bad cat finger!"

"It just wants to play," said Lovise as she returned to work. Peter gasped.

"You're right! And he doesn't have any friends."

"It doesn't want to play. It bit me," said Mathias bitterly. He had his finger wrapped in his shirt. "Peter! Control your demon finger." Peter ignored Mathias as he breathed it. He shook his hand. The rest of Peter's four fingers turned into cats as well.

* * *

Conjuring more cat fingers seemed to frighten Mathias and Lovise. Well, more Mathias then Lovise. Peter decided to head down to the Boardwalk and see how the fry stand was doing.

At the front window was Cole. Peter ran up to him.

"Hey, Cole!" greeted Peter. "You work the deep-fryer now?" Peter slammed his one normal hand on the counter. "Make me some bits!" Cole rolled his eyes.

"Peter, I take my job seriously," he said. "Please use the actual menu."

"Give me the bits!" Peter slammed his fist on the counter again. "The bits!" Allister emerged from the kitchen.

"Alright listen," he told Cole, "it'll be over sooner if you just give him whathe wants." Cole sighed.

"It's not for me," said Peter quickly as Cole went back to the fryer. "It's for these guys." He held up his cat fingers. Allister seemed a bit freaked out.

"What the?!"

"Uh, here's your…" said Cole. His voice dropped when he saw Peter's looks fingers. He dropped the bits on the counter. The cats greedily began eating a the bits.

"I can't look away."

"Peter, that is freaky."

"No it's not. It's natural for me," said Peter. He held up his other hand and began shaking it. "Shake... it... out!" The fingers on his other hand turned into cats. "See!"

"You know who would love this? Patrick!" said Allister. From the backroom, a freckled-faced ginger walked out.

"What's up Al…" Patrick's voice drifted off as he saw Peter's shapeshifted fingers. He practically pushed Cole to the side as he ran up to the front. "I've gotta take a pic for Keep Heta City Weird!" Patrick took out his phone and snaps picture of Peter and his fingers.

"What's that?" asked Peter. His cat fingers meowed.

"It's my blog. Keep! Heta! City! Weird!" Cole groaned, slamming his face into his hand.

"Can I see the picture?" Patrick handed the phone to Peter. However, when Peter took the phone, the cats that had replaced his fingers began whine in agony. Peter dropped the phone in the counter. "Sorry guys. I guess cat fingers don't function well as... fingers."

* * *

Peter didn't waste another minute racing back to the Temple. He sat at his kitchen's island, staring at his fingers. There was a sandwich in front of him, most likely left there by one of the Gems. However, he had great difficulty in eating it without hurting his cat fingers.

"Peter!" Peter looked up yo see Turquoise sticking her head inside the house. "Need some help?" Peter shook his head.

"No, it's cool," he said.

"Oh good!" said Turquoise before pausing. "See ya later then."

"What?"

"We're taking the Gem Sloop out to sea to fight a living island." Turquoise ducked out from the house.

"What?" Peter stood up, knocking his stool over. "Uh, Turquoise, wait!"

* * *

Peter ran after Turquoise and towards the beach.

"I wanna go on the Gem Sloop! I wanna see a living island! Wait! Wait!" he called out as he raced down the steps. He ran to the makeshift dock at the edge of the beach. "Wait!" The Gems and their boat had already taken off and were well a ways into the water. Peter dashed into the water to catch up with them. The Gems looked back at the shoreline.

"Peter!" shouted Pearl.

"C'mon, you can make it!" said Turquoise with a laugh. As soon as Peter was waist deep, his fingers started to writh in pain. This earned a gasp from the Gems when they saw why the boy had stopped.

"Peter, what's going on?" shouted Pearl.

"I-it's nothing!" exclaimed Peter. "I-I just turned all my fingers into cats!" Turquoise snickered into her hand.

"We have to stay and help Peter!" said Pearl to the other Gems.

"Ve can't. Zhis is a tectonic emergency," said Topaz as she messed around with the rigging on the boat. "Ve'll deal with Peter vhen ve get back. Ozhervise zhere von't be a Peter to deal vith." Pearl groaned.

"Turquoise, I blame you for this," she said. Turquoise shrugged.

"Yeah, that's fair," said the teal Gem. Pearl growled under her breath before looking at Peter.

"Peter, just try to stay calm!"

* * *

Peter did his best to follow Pearl's advice. But his fingers wouldn't be quiet and continued to mew.

"Enough! No more cat fingers! I want Peter fingers! ... And I don't mean little me heads on fingers, I mean my regular fingers!" cried out Peter after a long time. He stared at his fingers and drew in a breath. He shook his hands in an attempt to undo his shapeshifting. His actions had the opposite effect. Instead, a spot on his head turned into a cat. So did one of his hands. "Stop!" His foot turned into a cat. Peter had fully lost control of his shapeshifting at this point.

"Turquoise!" he shouted, tears threatening to slip from his eyes as various parts of his body turn into cats. "Pearl! ... Topaz!" Peter dropped to his knees. The Gems didn't show up. The Gems were always there to help him. He was frightened and alone. There had to be someone he could go to. That's when a single person came to mind.

"Dad!"

* * *

Peter struggled to get to his new form to Tino's clinic. By the time he had finally made it, night had fallen. Tino was locking up for the night. He had stopped when he heard a mysterious noise.  
"Hello? Who's there?" said Tino before he turned around and away from the door. "We're closed, come back tomorooaaaah!" Tino had seen the mass of cats Peter had become. He seized a discarded hose off of the ground. Tino sprayed the creature. The cats hissed in pain, but Peter still moved onward.

"Dad!" he shouted. His voice had become barely audible at this point. Tino almost dropped the hose as all color drained from his face.

"Peter?"

"Dad!" Peter's voice was louder as hot tears streamed down his face. "Help!" Morecats grew on his body. "The cat fingers are taking over my body!"

"Hold on, what- I'll get you out of there!" Tino reached into the mass in hopes of getting Peter out. A cat bit his arm. The rest threw him to the side.

"No! Bad! Bad cat fingers!" Peter felt himself fall backwards. The cats hissed as he fell into a puddle. Out of fear, the cats almost leapt into the air.

"Can't you make them go away?" asked Tino.

"I tried, but it made it worse!" Peter replied, his voice choked up. The cats began to take over. There were more felines than there was Peter. "My life is over! I can't go on magic adventures! I can't even open the fridge! And I'll never get to have another water fight with you, Dad! Because these things hate... water!" That's when the idea hit Peter. "They hate water! Dad, spray me again!" Tino fumbled with the hose before managing to spray Peter. The cats ran towards Tino out of anger. Peter grabbed side of the door, stopping the cats in time.

"It's not enough water!" Peter made out something attached to the side of the building. Bolted under a awning, sat a large tub of water that Tino had used for much larger animals. "Dunk me in the bath! The large one!" Tino's eyes widened.

"No, I won't do it!" he said. "It's too dangerous!"

"You've got to! I'm a monster! I'm an adorable cat monster!" Tino's eyes brimmed with tears.

"No you're not! You're my son!"

"Dad! Please!" Peter screeched in pain. The cats blocked any visible part of Peter left.

Tino seized his son. He picked up Peter, despite the cats clawing at him. He stumbled before making his way to his goal. Tino dropped Peter in the large tank of water. He slammed his palm on the button connected to the walk. The button turned on shower jets, aiming on all sides of the tank. The jets pounded Peter on all sides. The cays screeched and cried out. The rushing water blocked Peter from Tino's view.

The sound of cats soon dimmed, allowing Tino to drain the bath. He picked up a hose, ready to attack any remaining cats.

Peter put a hand on the edge as he pulled himself out. His clothes were massively torn to shreds. His body, although shaking with fatigue, was normal and cat-free.

"Dad," said Peter warily. He collapsed on the edge. Tino dropped the hose and raced over to Peter. He pulled him out, holding the boy close to his chest. "We did it."

* * *

Tino had carried Peter home to the Temple that night and didn't leave until his son was safe, sound and asleep.

The next morning, Peter had felt refreshed beyond relief. The day before had felt like a dream. He remembered the reality when he discovered his torn clothes on the ground.

Peter sat on the docks, swinging his legs as he waited for the Gems to return from their mission. He was still thinking of a way to explain what had happened when the Gem Sloop pulled up to the dock.

Peter stood up when Pearl came rushing towards him with a worried look on her face.

"Peter!" she called when she took his hand in hers. "Okay, let me see it. W-?" Pearl took Peter's other hand. She was almost surprised. "Y-you got them to go away?" Peter smiled. Pearl released his hands as Turquoise and Topaz came to join her. All three looked relieved. "It just goes to show, always listen to me, and never listen to Turquoise."

"That's fair," Turquoise said with a shrug.

"It goes to show, you should have a little more faith in Peter," said Topaz.

"Yeah, that would have been a total CAT-tastrophe!" said Peter, trying to lightening the mood. Turquoise and Pearl laughed a bit at his joke. "But I'm feeling much better MEOW!" The Gems groaned. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Okay, zhat's enough," said Topaz as the Gems headed back to the Temple.

"Wait, I've been coming up with cat jokes all morning. You guys, I'm feline fine. Everything's purrfect! Oh come on! I'm just kitten around!" Peter stopped his joking when the Gems were out of an earshot. He stared down at his hands. The memories of last night replayed in his head. Peter raced to join the Gems. He made a promise to himself in his head.

Peter would never shapeshift again.

* * *

 **In the next episode, Peter forms a magic bubble around himself and a young girl to save her from a falling rock, but he has no idea how to make it disappear.**


	7. Bubble Buddies

**Episode 7: Bubble Buddies**

* * *

It was a warm autumn day in Heta City. Peter carried a bicycle from his house, maneuvering his way through the door with it the best he could. A sudden jolt came from the ground below. Peter lost his footing and dropped the bike. It rolled away from him and clattered down the stairs. Peter ran after his bike as the Gems walked along the beach.

"I don't think they are earthquakes," said Pearl to Topaz and Turquoise. "They're too frequent!" Before either Gem could respond, Peter's bike crashed on the sand near the Gems. Peter picked it up.

"Hey look! Peter's got a bike!" said Turquoise, "Where ya goin', Peter?"

"Just out for a ride," replied Peter rather quickly.

"In the sand?" asked a suspicious Pearl.

"Yup!" The Gems watched as Peter rode off on his bike before heading to the Temple.

* * *

Peter struggled as he rode his bike through the sand. He came to a stop in front on a young girl.

The young girl was of small stature with small, bushy eyebrows. She looked only a few years younger and a few inches shorter than Peter. She wore khaki shorts, a white tank-top with a pink smock, a bandage on her forehead, and a red ascot. Her brown hair was fastened in a short and curly side-pony, and her scrunchie had a red flower on it. Her amber eyes were hidden behind dark red glasses.

The girl sat in the sand with a sketchbook in her lap.

"Some smooth ride…" said Peter as he got off of his bike. He looked over at the girl. "five speeds," He looked at her again, and back at the bike- "hand brakes," He looked back at the girl, then the bike- "electric blue finish with a tiger bell!" Peter ringed the bell. The girl paused in her drawing. Peter seemed hopeful but the girl continued drawing a moment later.

"I bet there are a lot of kids who'd love to ride this bi-" said Peter as he tried to ride his bike with the stand still up. He fell on his bike and looked at it. He looked up. The girl was staring at him. Peter felt his face heat up before he ran back to the temple.

* * *

Peter swung open the door to his house. He leaned up against the door, panting. He looked over. The Gems were by the window, now staring at him. Peter leaned up against the door a little more casually.

"Hello…" he said uncomfortably.

"Who were you talking to?" asked Pearl. Peter felt sweat running down his face.

"Huh?"

"Zhat girl," said Topaz as she gestured out the window.

"You saw?" Peter turned red again. "She's just a girl I know, except she doesn't know me. We never talked."

"You like her!" Turquoise said with a gasp. She pinched Peter's cheek.

"Uhh... I like everyone…" He pushed Turquoise's arms aside. Pearl gasped as well.

"Let's set up a play-date! I'll write up an invitation and work out a schedule," she suggested. "We'll have to find out her favorite kind of tea…" Topaz took control of the situation by covering both Pearl and Turquoise's mouths.

"No," she said. "I say you should just talk to her." Peter nodded as Topaz dropped her hands to her sides.

"Okay," said Peter as his face returned to a normal color, "But you guys can't watch this time! It'll mess up my funky flow."

"Funky flow?" Pearl and Turquoise asked in unison. Topaz adjusted her visor.

"Ve von't vatch," she promised, making a X over her chest.

"Alright!" Before heading back out, Peter ran to the fridge. He pulled out a glow bracelet and slid it into his pocket.

"What's that?" asked Turquoise as Peter raced past her.

"Nothing!" Peter said. He ran outside the door.

* * *

Peter walked towards the girl on the beach. He felt his pulse racing as he thought about the way he would begin talking to her.

"Hi! My name is Peter," he muttered to himself. "Hi, my name is Pe-ter. Hi my name is... Petar?" A monster roar rang through the beach. The earth shook. One thing caught Peter's attention. A part of the temple started to break. It finally gave away right over the girl. He felt the breath being forced from his chest. He ran over to her.

"Hi, my name is Peter!" he said quickly as he tackled the girl to the ground. Peter's Gem l glowed before they hit the sand. A mint green bubble erupted around Peter and the girl.

The rubble shattered as it hit the bubble. Peter stared up at the bubble, wide-eyed."How did I do that?" Peter said in awe to himself. He looked down at the girl under him, giving her a small smile. "Hi, my name is Peter!" The girl gaped at Peter, adjusting her askew glasses.

"Wendy," the girl replied simply. Her voice was laced with an Australian accent. Peter got off of her and helped her to her feet. "What happened?"

"I'm magic, well… half magic… on my mom's side." Wendy looked around at the bubble Peter had created.

"You did this?"

"I guess. I'm a member of the Crystal Gems, we fight monsters and protect humanity and stuff," Peter explained.

"That's kinda like my dad. He's a police officer. Well... more like a private security guard." Peter and Wendy looked at each other. Neither of them could find the words to say.

"So... how long does it usually last?" asked Wendy. Peter snapped to attention.

"Oh! Right." Peter attempted several different ways to open the bubble and make it go away. None of them worked.

"What's wrong?" Wendy asked Peter after he tried to pop the bubble by running into it.

"It uh…" said Peter, rubbing the forming bruise on his forehead, "doesn't seem to wanna go away."

"Oh." Peter got to his feet and began pushing the bubble to get it out of the rock. Wendy remained silent. The silence was uncomfortable. Peter had to find a way to make conversation.

"So…" said an awkward Peter, "I don't see you around that often." Wendy sighed. She got up and began to help Peter move the bubble.

"My dad works for a bunch of different beaches, so we're never in the same place long," Wendy explained. Silence threatened to fall again. Peter found a way to remedy that quickly.

"I go on adventures with the Gems sometimes. They usually say it's too dangerous for me though." With both of them pushing together, they managed to move the bubble forward slightly. Peter stumbled.

"Do you always go in a bubble?" Wendy asked. Peter shook his head as he regained his footing.

"No, this is new. I don't know what this is. But it's okay! The Gems will know what to do."

* * *

As soon as Peter and Wendy freed the bubble from the rock, they rolled it to Peter's house. The pair found themselves stuck when they couldn't roll up the steep hill it was built on.

"Hey guys!" shouted Peter after their fifteenth failed attempt to get up the hill, "Topaz! Help!" There was no answer.

"I don't think they can hear you," said Wendy, although the answer was obvious. Peter facepalmed himself as a recent memory resurfaced.

"Aww... That's right. I told them not to watch."

"We can just wait here until they come out."

"No, no, no, it's okay! I've got other friends that can help."

* * *

With Wendy's help, Peter managed to roll the bubble off of the beach and to the convenience store. They managed to get the attention of it's employees and now Lovise was trying her best to break open the bubble with a hammer. Mathias was no help. He just found the situation hilarious.

"Way to go, Peter! Is this your magic love bubble or something?" teased Mathias. "Did you make it because you're in love?"

"That's Mathias," Peter told Wendy. "We're basically best friends."

"He's weird," said Wendy. "And a bit rude." Mathias was still laughing at the situation between Peter and Wendy.

"Mathias, quit being a jerk and help!" shouted Lovise as she hit the bubble for the twentieth time.

"What?" said Mathias. "I'm helping Peter on his date."

"You're embarrassing him!"

"No, I'm not!" Lovise walked around to the other side of the bubble where her co-worker was.

"Yes, you are!" she exclaimed. Peter and Wendy watched the two argue.

"He and Lovise run the convenience store," Peter explained. He wanted to lighten the situation.

"Do… they get along?" asked Wendy. Lovise pushed Mathias. Peter and Wendy stared at them.

"They're crazy about each other."

"I'm gonna go try something else," said Lovise as she headed back inside the store.

"Anyway, this place has the best doughnuts!" said Peter to Wendy. "I come here almost everyday!"

"My parents don't let me eat doughnuts," Wendy said, sounding a bit sad. "They have trans fats."

"What?!" Peter blew a piece of hair from his face. "Well it's still a cool place to hang out."

Suddenly, Lovise burst from the store with a stool in her hands. Mathias ducked as she ran forward. Lovise cried out as she slammed the stool over the bubble. The stool shattered into wooden splinters. Peter laughed nervously.

"I have a better idea."

* * *

Peter and Wendy rolled the bubble down to Heta City's pier. Wendy stared in marvel at the boats docked.

"A trawler!" she said in awe. "And a little skip-jack!"

"You know a lot about boats," said Peter. It had taken him a while to figure out that she was naming the types of boats.

"That's what happens when you hang out at the beach and don't swim and don't have friends." There was an awkward pause. "Y-you look at boats…"

"Heh, uh…" Peter spotted a boy with shaggy brown hair sitting on the dock. He wears a small top hat on the left side of his head and was dressed in a shabby, over-sized coat that was torn and patched up. Rather than average front teeth, the boy sported what looked like a pair of fangs in the front of his mouth. He had two wild pieces of hair sticking out, with one on each side of his head.

"Oh hey, Aurel, Aurel!" shouted Peter, getting the boy's attention. Aurel waved to him. "We need a Harpoon Gun!"

"What?" said an alarmed Wendy.

"To pop the bubble," explained Peter.

"Can't we just go back to your house?"

"It's okay, I'm a Gem," Peter said before turning to Aurel. "Aurel, we need a harpoon gun!" Peter slowed his words. "HARPOON-GUN!" Aurel ate the popcorn he had in his hands. He was oblivious to what Peter was talking about. Either that, or he couldn't hear him. Peter breathed on the bubble, creating fog on the bubble. He drew a crude drawing of a harpoon gun.

"Harpoon-gun…" Peter repeated. Aurel didn't seem to understand as he continued eating. Peter facepalmed for the second time that day.

"Let me try," said Wendy. Peter stepped aside. Wendy breathed on the bubble to create more fog. Writing backwards, she managed to spell out the words "harpoon gun" on the bubble. Aurel gave her a thumbs up and ran off. Peter stared off as Aurel ran. Wendy shrugged. "It just made more sense."

Peter and Wendy's attention was drawn away from each other when Aurel blew a boat horn at the helm of a harpoon gun. Peter and Wendy almost leapt to opposite sides of the bubble as Aurel took the shot. The harpoon was deflected off of the bubble and hit a boat instead. The boat sunk into the depths.

"The trawler…" Wendy muttered.

* * *

Peter had one last idea that had to work. He instructed Wendy to roll down to the amusement park on the Pier.

"'Funland'?" Wendy said aloud from the sign above the entrance.

"Yeah! Tons of horrible accidents happen here everyday!" said Peter a little more enthusiastic than he should have. "There's gotta be something to break this bubble." Wendy became instantly uncomfortable.

"We just gotta find the right ride," Peter continued. He spotted one of few roller-coasters. He motioned for Wendy to help him roll up to it. They stood on the platform just before the rails. "Yeah, the kiddie coaster! Alright, we just roll down this ramp as the carts are coming at us, and the crash will break us free!"

"What happens after the bubble pops?" Wendy asked. Her voice cracked a bit.

"We'll be free!" There was an awkward pause.

"Peter, this is a bad idea-" began Wendy. She was cut off by a roar. The noise shook the bubble and the ride. The two trapped in the bubble lurched in the wrong direction. The bubble was accidentally pushed onto the coaster's track.

Before Peter and Wendy could roll off, the ride's carts slammed into them and pushed them in the opposite direction. The next thing Peter and Wendy knew, they were screaming as they were launched feet into the air. The bubble splashed down into the waters of Heta City's beach. Peter and Wendy sank to the ocean floor. Wendy sat up when the bubble finally stopped moving.

"Where are we?" asked Wendy. Peter stood up before extending a hand to her.

"The bottom of the ocean," he said casually. Wendy seemed terrified at the thought with how tightly she gripped his hand. "It's okay!"

"Are we even close to the shore?"

"Yeah, sure!" It was a lie. Peter didn't see where they had landed.

"Let's start rolling." Peter nodded. He and Wendy began rolling the bubble in the direction they believed was the shore.

"It's a good thing this bubble is air tight, otherwise we'd be drowning right now," said Peter as he tried to relax the tension in the bubble. He laughed nervously when Wendy didn't respond. "Don't worry Wendy, I have an idea that will definitely work, when we get back—" Peter didn't get to finish his sentence. Wendy yelped as something large swam over them. She ducked behind Peter.

"A huge worm!" said Peter in awe. He wrapped his hand around Wendy's. The Gems or his dad usually did something like this to calm Peter down when he was scared. "It's okay, look. It only wants to eat that bright stuff. See? Not scary at all." Wendy looked out from behind Peter as the Worm Monster began to eat the glowing red seaweed. The pair relaxed.

The calm lasted for a second.

The Worm Monster burrowed down into the ground. Its digging created cracks in the crust of the floor. The cracks opened up beneath Peter and Wendy. The bubble dropped deeper into the ocean.

* * *

The bubble and its contents landed softly on the ocean floor. Peter groaned as he stood back up.

"Are you alright?" he asked Wendy. She remained silent. "It's not so bad, uhhh. It-it's okay, I uh…"

"It's not okay! You keep saying that but you don't know what you're doing!" Wendy snapped. Peter took a step back. "Now we're going to suffocate or starve at the bottom of the ocean and only my parents will notice because no one else cares about me!" Tears lined Wendy's eyes.

"Huh? What're you…?"

"Everyone thinks my family and me are weird and wrong! They all stay away and make fun of me! I'm gonna disappear without ever making a single friend." Tears rolled down Wendy's face. She buried her face in her knees. Peter stared down at her as a lump formed in his throat. He stuck his hands in his pockets, feeling something strange. Peter pulled it out. It was the glow bracelet he had gotten before leaving the house. He remembered the real reason he wanted to talk to Wendy in the first place.

Peter got down on his knees and held out the bracelet to Wendy. She looked up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"We can be friends if you want," Peter told her. There was still silence from Wendy. "I… I uh… I saw you at the Boardwalk Parade last year. You dropped your bracelet. I picked it up, but then I couldn't find you. I saved it in the freezer so it would last longer, in case I saw you again." Wendy stared at Peter for a second.

"I remember. You were the kid on that one float. The one with all the animals on it," she said. Wendy laughed a little. "You had ears on your head." Peter's face turned as red as the bracelet glow. He laughed as well.

"I was supposed to be a dog." Peter sighed. "I'm sorry Wendy," he said. He took Wendy's hand and slid the bracelet on her. "If I had returned your bracelet back then, you wouldn't be stuck in this bubble with me now." Wendy turned just as red as Peter.

"No, it's okay. I'm having fun." Both of them smiled.

The bubble suddenly burst. Peter took Wendy by the hand. Together, they swam up to the surface.

* * *

As they broke through the water, Peter and Wendy found themselves gasping for air. They swam to the beach, collapsing under the pier as they caught their breath. They didn't have enough time to rest, though. Moments after Peter and Wendy made it to the beach, something else broke trough the ocean. It was the Worm Monster. It cut through the water and headed straight towards them. Wendy pulled up Peter.

"Come on, come on!" she said in a rush. The two ran from the monster chasing them. "Hide in the rocks, Peter!" Wendy made her way over behind the rocks. Peter took refuge under the pier. He peered out from one of the columns that held up the pier. The monster was heading for Wendy instead of him.

"Why is it chasing you?" Peter thought out loud. There had to be something Wendy had that Peter didn't. His eyes caught Wendy's at wrist. "The bracelet! It eats bright stuff. Wendy!"

"Peter!" shouted Wendy. Peter ran over and alongside her.

"Give me the bracelet!" Peter slid the bracelet off of Wendy's wrist.

"What?!"

"It's okay, now go, go! Run that way!" Peter pushed Wendy away from him. He looked back. The monster was now chasing him and the bracelet. "I'm sorry!"

Peter maneuvered through the columns of the pier. The monster followed him without caring in what direction it went it. The monster unknowingly wrapped around itself around the columns, immobilizing it as it struggled to break free. Peter ran out from under the pier andto Wendy's side. Wendy and Peter gripped each other's hands in horror. The columns broke apart, causing the pier to collapse on the monster. The monster poofed into a cloud of dust, leaving a gem behind.

"Peter!" Peter and Wendy turned around to find the Gems rushing towards them. They let go of the other's hand.

"Peter, what's going on?!" said Pearl. "What did you do?!" Peter felt words get stuck in his throat. But apparently, he didn't need to say anything at all.

"He was incredible!" Wendy answered. Topaz cleared the rubble of the pier and found the gem the monster left behind. She formed a bubble around it and sent it away to the Temple.

"Really? You mean it?" Peter asked nodded. "Here's your bracelet… again."

"Thanks." Wendy laughed as Peter slid the bracelet on her wrist again. The Gems had their eyes on Wendy. Turquoise slung an arm around Peter.

"So, are you going to introduce us?" she said. Peter blushed, purely out of embarrassment. "Peter was so excited to meet you," Pearl said to Wendy. "Right Peter?" Peter nodded and laughed nervously. Before Peter could be killed by his embarrassment, Topaz seized Turquoise and Pearl by the back of their shirts. She threw them over her shoulders.

"Hey!" said Topaz as she did this. "Don't mess vith his funky flow." She walked back to the Temple, not really listening to the complaints of her teammates.

"Funky... flow?" asked Wendy when the Gems were out of an earshot. Peter laughed nervously, which quickly turned into a groan.

* * *

 **In the next episode, while navigating out of an ancient Gem maze on a mission, Peter tries to prove himself to the Gems by being serious.**


	8. Serious Peter

**Episode 8: Serious Peter**

* * *

There was no time to be childish today. The Gems had a very important mission to do. And on this very important mission, Topaz had insisted on Peter being brought along. And Peter had brought along the small ukulele he owned with him.

"Pay attention Peter, zhis is going to be your first serious mission," instructed Topaz to Peter as they and the other two Gems warped to the location of their mission, "You need to be ready." Peter wasn't paying much attention. He wasn't being serious at all. This could have something to do with the fact that he was upside-down in the warp stream.

"Yes!" said an excited Peter. "I'm ready, I'm so ready!"

"Peter, you're gonna make yourself sick," said Pearl. She spun Peter upright. As she did, his ukulele hit her glasses, nearly knocking them off. She scoffed at it. "Why did you bring that?"

"I don't know! I was excited, and i-it's mine, and I like it!" The ukulele began to float away. Peter swam after it in the stream.

"Peter get back here! You could get seriously-"

* * *

In a flash of blue light, the Gems found themselves standing on the site of a battle, which had been overgrown by strawberry bushes. Peter, having gone higher, had warped far too high above the ground. He fell a few yards away from the Gems and into a handful of bushes.

"Peter!" shouted Pearl as the Gems raced over to where Peter had landed. "Are you-" Peter sat up. He was covered in the juices from the strawberries.

"I-I'm fine! I'm good, I'm just.. gooey," said Peter. Turquoise pulled him up. He began lickong his arm. A bunch of butterflies swarm up around Peter, sticking to his face. Peter screamed, not knowing what they were. "They're in my eyes!" He ran frantically, swatting away the butterflies. His foot got caught on a stray vine, causing Peter to trip. Topaz bent down, gently swatting away the butterflies with her hand.

"Zhey're just butterflies, Peter," she said calmly. Peter picked himself up, laughing.

"Well, they looked a lot bigger when they were on my eyeballs." Turquoise laughed.

"Peter, you're a riot!" she said. She and Peter began walking a little ahead of Pearl and Topaz.

"I'm suddenly having second thoughts bringing Peter on this mission…" Pearl told Topaz. Topaz put a hand on her shoulder.  
"Shh... Just look at him," said Topaz. Peter had a large grin on his face as he talked with Turquoise. "Now let's go get zhat gemstone."

* * *

Gems and Peter began walking through the field. The ground was littered with swords stuck in the ground.

"Unbelievable, this was once a Gem battlefield, now it's wild strawberries as far as the eye can see!" Pearl said as she twirled around. "Oh, that's what I love about the Earth! Maybe this will be a light mission after all." In her daydream, Pearl bumped into backed away. The Gems had arrived at a pyramid shaped temple.

"... Or maybe not," said Topaz. She summoned a bubbled gem. She popped the bubble. Topaz inserted the piece into the Pyramid's door. It opened.

"Woah!" gasped Peter as the four of them entered the temple. His voice echoed off of the walls. "Peter's the best!" Peter yelled. bounced back at him. "Why thank you, temple." Turquoise ruffled Peter's hair.

"You're a doof," she said. Peter ran over to the small platform in the center of the room. A smaller version of the Pyramid hovered on it. "Hey, what's this thing? It's like a cool floaty triangle thing."

"Whatever it is, you probably shouldn't touch it," Pearl said, earning a yawn from Turquoise. "What?"

"I didn't say anything," said Turquoise.

"You were implying something." As Turquoise and Pearl started arguing, Peter began poking the floating gem. Eventually, the gem tipped and flipped over. The temple began to shake. The Gems quickly rushed to him. As the Temple began to rumble, something else started to suck them up to the ceiling.

"Peter!" snapped Pearl. "What have we told you about touching magical things?"

"Definitely... always…" Peter replied, "never do it!"

* * *

There was the sound of four separate screams as the Gems and Peter were sucked up into a hole on the ceiling. They were pulled down a tunnel and into another room of the Pyramid.

While the Gems all landed gracefully, Peter landed flat on his stomach. The hole that lead them to the room covered itself. Torches lit up all around them. Long, dark corridors surrounded them.

"Looks like we're gonna have to split up," said Turquoise as she peered down one of the hallways.

"Right," Pearl said with a short nod. "Peter and I will stay right here where it seems to be safe, while you guys go and solve the mystery of this place."

"Wait, I want to help solve the mystery!" said Peter.

"Yeah, c'mon Peter, let's solve the mystery," said Turquoise. She picked up Peter with ease.

"Yeah, mystery solvers!" As Turquoise attempted to run off down one of the corridors with Peter, she was intercepted by Pearl. Pearl took Peter from her. She held Peter to her chest, not having Turquoise's strength to pick him up.

"No, no no no-no-no," she said. "You two are a disaster waiting to happen."

"Peter goes vith me," said Topaz before anyone could bat an eyelash. Peter's eyes lit up.

"Really?" Peter asked. Topaz nodded. "Awesome!"

"But remember, zhis is a serious mission."

"Understood. Serious Peter!" Peter looked up at Pearl, who was still holding him. "Pearl, can you let me go?"

"Wha-? Oh, yes, of course." She let go of him.

"I need to be standing or else it doesn't work." Peter walked off towards one of the corridors with Topaz. "Serious Peter: Activate!"

"But this could be the teacups all over again!" Peter shuddered at the memory Pearl had arisen. He shook it off.

"Hey, I've put that behind me!" The door shut behind him and Topaz.

* * *

"Oooh, we're on a magic treasure hunt, for some magic treasure junk!" sang Peter as he and Topaz walked down the corridor. "Something, something, magic something!" As they entered the room at the end of the hall, the door sealed behind them. The tiled floor below them lit up. Only a handful of random tiles glowed.

"Ve need to stay on zhe glowing panels," said Topaz before looked down at Peter. "Alright?" Peter nodded.

"Right! Serious Peter: Go!" Peter began to hop across the tiles. Topaz followed him at a more careful pace. Peter made it to the end of the room before her. The last panel was set a fair distance away. Peter jumped towards it, but his leap wasn't enough to quite reach the other side completely. He wobbled a bit before losing his balance. Peter accidentally stepped on one of the darkened tiles.  
The glowing panels quickly changed from white to red. They began to crumble and fall, revealing a pit of open flames below. The one beneath Peter fell, leaving the boy dangling from another.

"Peter!" shouted Topaz. Topaz leapt from the remaining panels in hopes to get to Peter on time. Just as the tile Peter was clinging to gave away, Topaz had caught him in her arms. They landed safely on the other side of the room and away from the fire. Peter laughed weakly as Topaz put him down.

"That was —" said Peter excitedly. He stopped halfway through his sentence and cleared his throat. "uh, seriously dangerous. Thank you, Topaz." Topaz just looked down at him.

"Your hair's on fire," she stated before heading in forward. Peter jumped a little bit and ran to catch up with Topaz. He patted out his burning hair just as they entered the next chamber. Like before, the door sealed behind them. Peter jumped at the noise, clinging onto Topaz.

"Ve can take a break if you're not feeling vell, Peter," she said as she put a hand on the boy's back. Peter looked up at her.

"Oh, no. I'm okay!" said Peter. He pulled away from Topaz. "Let's keep going! I can handle it! See?" Peter flexed his arms to prove his point. Topaz laughed a bit.

"Alright, but be careful, you might trigger a trap vith zhat gun-show."

"Right, I'll put these babies away, and use my mind." Peter ran over to the closest wall, running a hand over it. A triangle pattern was etched into the wall. "Maybe there's a clue hidden in these ancient drawings. It looks like, there's lots of triangles hidden somewhere in this room." As Peter felt around wall, he accidentally pushed part of the wall in. The sound of a trap triggering echoed around them.

"Run!" shouted Topaz. It was too late. The trap has gone off.

Ceiling spikes descended in an effort to crush Peter. Peter pulled away last second, with the spikes tearing his shirt and making him drop his ukulele. Topaz summoned her gauntlets as another series of spikes came down. She stepped between them and Peter, holding back the spikes with her weapon.

"Ah, my ukulele!" Peter grabbed his instrument and slung it back across his back. He ran to the other side of the room. Topaz pushed the spikes away from her and ran to join him.

"Now zhat vas a pretty close one," she said when the spikes retracted back into the ceiling. Peter laughed nervously.

"Yeah, that was a pretty... close... one," he said. A sudden stab at his side made Peter wince. His hands practically flew to the spot where his shirt had been torn. Topaz got down on her knee. She lifted up Peter's chin so he was looking at her. Gently, she removed his hands from his side. A thin line of crimson blood cut across Peter's side, narrowly missing his hip. An identical mark was stained onto Peter's hand. Topaz seemed to sigh as she held out her hand. Peter dug into his pocket, pulling out a waded-up bandage roll.

Ever since Peter had begun going on missions with them, the Gems had become worried that Peter would get hurt like he had just now. Pearl had begun slipping first aid supplies- usually the bandages- in Peter's pocket before they headed out.

Topaz wrapped the roll around Peter's waist before tying it off and standing back up.

"Zhat should be secure until ve get home and Pearl can take care of it," said Topaz. "Alright." Peter gave her a nod. They walked on a little further, coming to the next room. The room was filled with swinging blades, waterfalls made of lava, and spikes. Peter felt fear rising in the back of his throat. Either that, or the sight made him nauseous and he was about to throw up.

"Get ready, Peter," said Topaz. "Zhis is going to be intense." Those words sparked a memory Peter tried to bury down.

* * *

 _Two weeks earlier, Peter and the Gems had taken a trip down to the amusement park on the Boardwalk. All four of them stood in line for the new ride. It was spinning teacups that carried the riders up high in the air._

 _"Get ready Peter," said Topaz as she and Peter boarded the ride. "Zhis is going to be intense." Peter gave her a nod in response._

 _"I'm ready!" he said._

 _The ride began to spin as it rose up above the Boardwalk. Peter felt a wave of nausea run over him._

 _"Zhis is fun, Peter," Topaz commented. Peter lurched._

 _"I think I need to get off this ride now," he said. Without thinking, Peter jumped out of the teacup._

 _"Peter, no!" Peter landed on top of the person operating the ride. Luckily, he wasn't hurt very much due to his Gem DNA keeping him safe. However, the ride wasn't protected from the fall. The lever operating the system broke in half. All of the cups to fly off the ride, causing mass destruction._

* * *

When Peter snapped back to the present, he wasn't standing anymore. Topaz was carrying him. They were on the other side of the room. She placed him down as Peter started to move.

"Whoa. We made it?" asked Peter as he stared at the traps behind him.

"I carried you vhile you took a nap," Topaz explained as she walked off.

"N-nap?!" Peter ran to catch up with Topaz. She opened the next door. To their surprise, they had returned to the room in which they started in.

"Ve're back vhere ve started?" said Topaz. She ran her fingers through her hair. Peter noticed her usually calm and sarcastic manner was cut down by frustration. "But… How? Ve didn't turn back at all! Zhis doesn't make any sense. I can't even see clearly…" The sound of footsteps drew Topaz's and Peter's attention. Pearl emerged from one of the corridors.

"Topaz, there you are!" said Pearl. She sounded relieved. "The doors and rooms here make no sense, they all bring you here!" Out of nowhere, Turquoise ran out from a corridor and groaned.

"Get me out of here!" she said before darting into another.

"There are sixteen doors, and we entered from the northeast and went through three consecutive rooms in a straight line…" Pearl began to explain. Turquoise returned, a bear trap on her head. She removed it, and ran through another door. "But arrived back here out the southernmost door, which could only mean... well, I don't know what it means! I—" She stopped when Turquoise slid in, frozen in a block of ice. Pearl summoned her spear.

"This is a death trap!" Pearl cried as she began to use her spear to try and break the block of ice Turquoise was trapped in. Peter's heart began racing.

"W-What do we do?" he stuttered as he looked up at Topaz. Topaz drew in a deep breath.

"Ve go back in," she said as calmly as she could. "Again, and again, and again, and again." Something in Peter snapped.

"I can't!" he shouted. His voice echoed off the walls. Pearl lowered her spear.

"Peter," she said out of concern.

"It's okay," Topaz added. Peter shook his head.

"No, no it's not, you were alright about me," he said. "I wanted to do this so bad, but now I feel like I'm gonna throw up. This is just like the teacups!" Peter froze as an idea popped into his mind. He looked around the room.

"Oh Peter," said Pearl. She released her spear, turning it into nothing but light. "I-I didn't really mean that."

"Wait!" Everyone fell quiet. "Wait you guys, what if this is just like the teacups? That's why we're getting so lost. That's why I'm feeling so sick. All the rooms are spinning us around so we end up here!" No one said or did anything for what seemed like forever.

Topaz summoned her gauntlets. She didn't speak a word as she walked over to the center of the room. She drew back her fist and began to break up the floor. It crumbled beneath Peter and the Gems as she kept going. The entire floor soon fell to pieces, revealing what was truly beneath it. It was a room filled with spinning upside down pyramids, orbiting around a central floating obelisk embedded with a gemstone. The four fell through onto some of the pyramids. The ice containing Turquoise broke as well.

"This is unbelievable!" exclaimed Pearl. She projected a hologram from her Gem as an explanation began. "This Gem-powered mechanism! It's manipulating the rooms above. Every room we entered spun us until we came back to the central chamber! It's just like the teacups ride at Funland!"

"Peter already figured zhat out!" shouted Topaz as she tried to keep her balance. Instead of turning red like a human, Pearl's face turned a pale teal as she blushed. She waves away the hologram.

Peter pulled himself on top of the pyramid he had landed on. As he circled the obelisk, something caught his eye. It was the gemstone the obelisk held. He looked over at Topaz, who was next to him.

"Topaz, I need to get off the ride now," he said. Topaz replied with a simple smirk as she held out her hand. Peter took it. Topaz pulled Peter into her hands.

"Serious Peter: Go!" she said before throwing Peter at the obelisk. Peter landed on the obelisk safely. He slid down a bit to the gemstone. With all his might, he began to pull. The gemstone glowed and ejected from its hole. There was no time to react to what happened next.

With its power source removed, the Pyramid began to shake. White wisps of energy flowed back into the gemstone. With no time to do anything, the temple exploded.

* * *

Groans rang out from strawberry bushes as the Gems began to recover from the blasts. They stood up, immediately noticing one was missing from their numbers.

"Peter? Peter?!" Pearl called out. There was no answer. "Where is he?"

"He's over here," said Turquoise with pure relief. She bent down, picking the boy up off the ground. Peter leaned onto Turquoise. He still had the gemstone tucked in his arms. Being human, or at least part human, it would have taken him more time to recover from the blast then it would a normal Gem. Strawberry juices dripped off of Peter's clothes.

"The Gem…" he said, his voice weak. He handed the gemstone to Pearl. Pearl bubbled the gemstone away.

"I'd say you handled that adventure very well," said Pearl. She sounded only the slightest bit relieved.

"Yeah, nice job, 'Serious Peter'," Turquoise added. She bent down, allowing Peter to climb on her back with ease. As she stood back up, Topaz picked something off of the ground. It was Peter's ukulele.

"I prefer regular Peter," she said. "Let's head back home." Peter nodded before settling his head on Turquoise's shoulder. His breathing became soft and quiet as he gave into exhaustion and fell asleep.

* * *

 **In the next episode, Peter joins an underground wrestling league with Turquoise, who's tired of Topaz and Pearl bringing her down.**


	9. Tiger Millionaire

**Episode 9: Tiger Millionaire**

* * *

Quiet was the word to describe the Crystal Temple until the Gems warped back from their latest mission. Pearl's voice could be heard for miles.

"How could you possibly think punching a blood polyp was a good idea? Look at all the gunk you got on me!" Pearl yelled, her scolding directed at Turquoise. She flicked away a small piece of gunk on her arm. It hit Turquoise's hair. "And look at Peter!" Pearl gestured over to the boy beside them. His entire body with the exception of his face was coated and dripping with the gunk Pearl had on her arm.

"It's not so bad once you get used to it," Peter said.

"See?" said Turquoise casually. "He likes it." She pulled the goop from her hair and flicked it back at Pearl. It missed her by an inch and struck the wall.

"He certainly won't like it when it hardens," Pearl said.

"What?" said Peter. Pearl didn't seem to notice his worried tone. "I'm gonna go wash up." Peter struggled to make his way to the bathroom. The sludge on him slowly began to harden.

"He shouldn't have been so close in the first place." Peter never made it to his intended destination. The goop hardened on him, creating a shell that held him in place.

"How was I supposed to know they pop?" Turquoise said.

"Uh, guys?" Peter said, trying to get the Gems' attention.

"You're always putting us in danger with your little outbursts!" Pearl shouted. Turquoise ignored Pearl's rant, only sticking out her tongue when she stopped. Pearl groaned. "You are just... so... childish!"

"Yeah, yeah. And don't forget: Reckless, vulgar, 'loud mouth'," said Turquoise with a roll of her eyes. "And that's just what makes me so awesome! Right, Topaz?" Topaz shifted her visor closer up on her nose.

"Turquoise, you are a Crystal Gem," she said. If Peter could see, he could imagine Topaz's eyes were narrowed. "You need to act like it." Turquoise stared at her teammates for a good solid minute. She turned around, activating her door to the Temple.

"Fine," she uttered before heading into her room. The door sealed behind her. When the door shut, Pearl smiled.

"I think we really got through to her!" she groaned. They both stepped on the warp pad and headed to the front door. "Right, Topaz?" They both left the house.

"Guys?" Peter said. He was still trapped in his hardened shell.

* * *

None of the Gems returned to free Peter. Peter himself had fallen asleep inside on his shell, standing up.

The Temple door activated. The sound woke Peter from his sleep. A cloaked figure ran out from the door. As he woke up, Peter finally lost his balance. He hit the floor. The collision shattered the hardened mold around him. After hours, he was finally free. Peter got to his knees just in time to see the cloaked figure running out of the house.

Confused and wondering who it was, Peter scrambled to his feet. He followed after the figure.

The cloaked person didn't notice Peter was following them. They kept running until they reached an old abandoned warehouse Peter was forbidden to go near. There was a flash of light from under the cloak. The person entered the warehouse through a large hole in the wall. Peter crouched down low and peered inside the warehouse.

The interior was set up like a makeshift wrestling stadium. The cloaked person stood in the center of the ring. From the announcement table, Peter could see a familiar face.

It was a teenaged boy Peter had seen many a times working at the Boardwalk. He had unkempt silver-white hair and icy violet eyes. Emil Steilsson was acting as the announcer for the match, but the bags under his eyes said otherwise.

"For those of you confused by the events of athleticism, you are about to see: the Teal Titan, is the single most hated wrestler in Heta City Underground's history!" said the tired Emil as the person shedded their disguise. Underneath was a young man with teal coloring. Even shapeshifted like this, Peter could see Turquoise's Gem embedded into the man's chest.

"What?" Peter whispered to himself. The crowd booed at the Teal Titan's appearance. Titan didn't seemed bothered by the jeering, but welcomed it instead.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, let's introduce his opponent, or should I say: victim," Emil continued. "The Lochness Blogster!"

"I'm, uh, going to end your reign of terror!" said the uncertain competitor Teal Titan was going to face. He ran at Titan. The Titan knocked him down and out almost immediately.

"Well now, that was quick." The crowd ridiculed Teal Titan for her victory. "Yeah, I don't like it either but, what are you going do?"

* * *

Peter ran away from his peephole. He waited by the back door, listening to the sounds of the fight raging on. When it was over, he hid from sight. The Teal Titan burst through the back door, the cloak flung over his shoulder. He was laughing. The body of the wrestler became pure light before turning back into Turquoise and sighed. She didn't notice Peter hiding behind her.

Peter crept out from his hiding place and snuck up behind Turquoise.

"Turquoise!" he shouted suddenly, attempting to jump on her back. Reacting with animal like instinct, Turquoise grabbed Peter by the arm and pinned him to the wall. She froze like a block of ice when she saw who it was. She dropped Peter as if he were on fire.

"What are you doing here?" she asked without hesitation. Her eyes glanced back at the Temple. Peter got up on his knees, rubbing his shoulder.

"Are you a secret wrestler?" Peter asked her. Turquoise looked down at him. She hesitated in answering.

"Yeah?" Peter stood up as the adrenaline and excitement caused by her answer ran through his body.

"But how? But when? But why?" Turquoise put a hand over Peter's mouth. She looked confused beyond belief.

"Peter, hush up. Lemme explain something to you." Turquoise put her hand on Peter's shoulder as he came closer to her. "In the ring, nobody can tell me what to do! And if they try, I hit 'em in the face with chair!" Peter caught sight of Turquoise's arm. A dark blue mark was forming on her skin. That hadn't been there before.

"And people... like that?" he asked.

"'Like it'? They love it!" Turquoise paused "well, they hate it, but it's all part of the fun you know?" She hesitated in speaking again. "E-everyone here, gets that." Turquoise groaned in frustration. "Ugh! You don't know what it's like having Pearl and Topaz on your back all the time!"

"Are you kidding me?" Peter changed his voice to match Pearl's. "Oh Peter, I told you before not to take peanut butter on missions." He made a poor attempt to mimic Topaz. "I'm not going to say anyzhing, but I expect you to understand zhat vas vrong." Turquoise laughed at Peter's impersonations. "Let me be a wrestler with you! I'm so stifled!" Turquoise put her hand to her chin as the thought wandered in and out of her head.

"Well, I haven't won the tag team belt yet," she said. Peter smiled. "But you can't tell Pearl and Topaz."

"Deal!"

"Let's go home. It's way past your bedtime, little man."

* * *

The next day, Turquoise and Peter stowed away in Peter's loft bedroom after Topaz and Pearl left on a mission together. Together, the worked on Peter's wrestling persona for later that night.

After running around his room for a few minutes, Peter came to show Turquoise what he came up with. He had slicked back his hair, put on suspenders and placed a small whisker mask on his face.

"Are you ready? Presenting: Tiger Millionaire!" Peter announced, trying to sound like an enthusiastic sportscaster. "Rich feline industrialist from Jungle Island, once the single child of the wealthy Tiger Family, he clawed out his own destiny making money in the coconut mines."

"Wow, you just came up with all that?" Turquoise said from her spot on Peter's bed. Peter nodded.

"Well, yeah. What's your backstory?"

"Titans are cool." Peter felt words bite his tongue.

"Uhh... we'll workshop that later."

* * *

Under the cover of night's darkness, Peter and Turquoise snuck out of the Temple. They headed over to the warehouse. Turquoise shifted into the Teal Titan. She was ready to fight.

"Two local heroes in the ring tonight, they build hospitals for the sick, and they build muscles that look slick! Give it up for... Concrete Heat and Chunk Truck!" announced Emil, acting as commenter once again. "Facing off against the Teal Titan and our newest competitor: Tiger Millionaire!" The crowd booed Peter and Turquoise. Peter pulled himself up on the edge of the ring.

In the audience were Mathias and Lovise. Lovise grimaced at the violence displayed whenever she came here. The only reason she was even here was to pick up her stepbrother, Emil. Mathias had come with her after their shift had ended. He, unlike her, enjoyed the fights.

"That little guy's gonna get destroyed," Mathias said, leaning up against the wall.

"From here he kinda looks like Peter," Lovise said.

"Yeah, right."

Up on stage, Peter got ready to crawl into the ring. Turquoise held out an arm to stop him.

"Peter, wait!" she said in a harsh whisper, "I'm just using you to get the tag team belt, I'll do all the actual fighting."

"Do I still get to wear the costume?" Peter asked.

"I don't care!"

"Okay!" He flashed Turquoise a thumbs up. She nodded and turned to her competition. Turquoise as her alter ego, Teal Titan, roared and charged at one of them.

"Oh! Devastating move by Titan!" Emil said as he cringed. One of the wrestlers came up from behind Turquoise.

"Uh?- Teal! Teal Titan!" Peter shouted. "Look out!" The wrestler shoved a traffic cone on Teal Titan's head.

"What a gross usage of safety equipment, and tax dollars," Emil continued.

"That's not fair!" Peter complained.

"It may not seem fair, but hey, anything goes in wrestling."

"It does?!"

"Oh yes it does!" Asnide smirk crossed Peter's face.

"Looks like this Tiger's gotta turn cheetah!" he muttered to himself. He picked up a suitcase from off the ground

"Hey Chunk Truck! I'll give you a million jungle bucks to throw the match!"

"What's this? It looks like Tiger Millionaire is offering a bribe!"

"Why, we could fill a thousand potholes with—" said the wrestler Peter had called out to. When he got close enough, Peter popped open the suitcase and nailed the man in the face.

"Oh snap! Did you see that?" shouted an audience member. With this distraction, Teal Titan managed to knock out her opponents.

"Oh! I mean just wow!" said the announcer.

"Way to go, Tiger!" said Turquoise as she high-fived a beaming Peter.

* * *

On and on it went. Every night, Peter and Turquoise would sneak out of the house to compete in their matches. They were unstoppable together in the ring. With each match won, Teal Titan and Tiger Millionaire got one step closer to winning the Tag Team Belt. However, Peter was secretly worried. As time went on, Pearl and Topaz had discovered a few of the props Peter used as Tiger Millionaire.

Soon, the tag team of Peter and Turquoise had made it to the semi-finals.

"Record breaking heat tonight," said Emil after the match had finished. Peter, getting an idea, walked over to the concessions stand. "Could it be? Tiger Millionaire has bought out our soda stand. Maybe he'll share with his thirsty fans... oh!" Peter dropped the soda he bought all over the ground. "Now there's no sodas for anybody. Wha—" Peter began to stomp in the puddle he made. "This is really hard to watch." Someone came out from the audience. Mathias, who had become a fan of Tiger Millionaire, headed up to Peter with a cup in his hand.

" Tiger! Hey Tiger!" he said, getting Peter's attention. "Would you sign this? It'd be so-!"

"You couldn't afford it!" Peter yelled. In the heat of the moment, Peter knocked Mathias' soda on the ground. Mathias stared at the cup. Peter realized what he had done. Mathias turned red before retreating back to his seat.

"Woah…" said Emil, sounding surprised. "Never thought I'd live to see the day when a contender turned down his own fan." Mathias narrowed his eyes at Tiger Millionaire before sitting back down. Peter's heart shattered.

"I thought we were just having fun…" he said to himself. The crowd jeered at him.

"Tiger Millionaire, you're the cruelest creature on the planet."

* * *

The moment did not leave Peter's mind the next day. It kept replaying in his head.

He sat on his bed, not even dressed or ready for the match that night.

"Hey Tiger!" said Turquoise. She climbed up the stairs and sat down next to Peter. "Are ya ready to win our final match?" She looked at his sade face. "Hey, Peter. What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Peter unfurled the mask he had balled up in his hand.

"Turquoise…" he said. "Am I the cruelest creature on the planet?" To Peter's surprise, Turquoise chuckled.

"Oh Peter, those are just words people use to describe how they feel about you." This didn't help. Peter just groaned and faceplanted his face into his knees. Turquoise retracted for a second before putting a hand on the boy's back to get him to look at her.

"Listen, Peter," she said. "You can't let anyone make you feel like garbage." Peter looked up at her.

"Is that how you feel?" Turquoise stared. She stood up. Her eyes narrowed.

"I only feel how I wanna feel," said Turquoise before walking away. "Hurry up and get dressed. The match starts soon."

* * *

Turquoise eventually managed to get Peter out of bed and into his costume for the finals.

"Ladies and gentlemen, fans of wrestling, welcome to the tag team championship!" announced Emil from his place in the booth he took up. "In the ring tonight: They stomped their way through the tournament and into our hearts, give it up y'all! Give it up! For Dashing Danny Doober and Handsome Hank Hackenschmidt!" There were cheers. "Only one thing would make these men look better folks: it's the tag team belt! But! Standing in their way are the ruthless kings of the jungle, they'll eat your kids and fire your parents! Ooh! Yes, it can only be: the Teal Titan and Tiger Millionaire!" Severe booing came from crowd.

"Don't you dare hurt those men, you monsters!" shouted a random man. In the audience, Lovise cringed.

"People are really hating on Tiger Millionaire," she said.

"He's awful because he hurt me specifically," Mathias told her. He held up a sign he made higher. It clearly read: "TIGER IS A JERK!"

The match was about to begin. Turquoise was ready to pounce and win the belt. Peter, not so much.

The stage lights came up. Just as Turquoisewas ready to charge, two unexpected people jumped down into the ring. The furious duo of Topaz and Pearl stared at Peter and Turquoise.

"Pearl?" said Peter. "Topaz?"

"What are you doing?" shouted Turquoise. Anger built up in her veins.

"What are we doing?" repeated Pearl, surprised. "What is this?" Pearl unrolled a poster she had in her hands. It was crudely drawn and was in crayon. It was of Teal Titan and Tiger Millionaire. Peter's signature was obvious at the bottom. Turquoise glared back at Peter.

"I thought we could use some promotion," Peter squeaked out. When she was this angry, Turquoise terrified Peter.

"Looks like we have some new opponents," said Emil. He seemed to be grinning. A rare sight indeed.

"No you don't!" said Pearl, turning to the booth. She looked out at the crowd. "This match is cancelled!"

"What? Why?" asked Peter. A gasp radiated from the audience. Pearl looked over at Peter. Her teeth were clenched together.

"'Why'?!" repeated Pearl through her teeth. "I can't believe you've been sneaking off to this... this circus of violence! And you!" Her voice lowered significantly as she turned onto Turquoise. "Using your Gem powers on humans?!" Turquoise's hands clenched up. A growl emitted from her throat.

"It's not enough that you're on my case all the time, you have to ruin this for me too?" she shouted. The crowd began to chant "Fight!"

"We're not here to fight," said Pearl. This did not ease the crowd. Topaz stepped forward, pulling Pearl behind her.

"Peter, Turquoise," said Topaz.

"What?" Turquoise growled.

"Go back to zhe temple. Now. Ve'll deal vith you-" Something inside Turquoise snapped in two.

"I'm not a new Gem anymore!" Turquoise shouted. "I don't have to listen to you!" She shoved Topaz to the other side of the ring. Everyone in the room gasped.

"Don't do zhis," Topaz pleaded. Turquoise charged at her. Topaz summoned her gauntlets and began to fight with Turquoise. Turquoise wrapped her arms around Topaz. She began squeezing Topaz like a boa constrictor.

"Guys! Stop!" shouted Peter.

"Turquoise!" Pearl yelled. Peter jumped out of the ring and ran over to the sound booth. "Think about what you're doing!" Pearl's gem glowed as she got ready to summon her spear. Topaz managed to break free of Turquoise's hold. She knocked the teal Gem to the ground. Peter grabbed the microphone away from Emil.

"Wait!" shouted Peter into the microphone. To his surprise,everyone stopped and looked at him. "I want to tell you Teal Titan's backstory. He was the wildest in his home, so wild, the others couldn't take it. So she, I mean he, went to look for somewhere he fit in, somewhere with other people who felt misunderstood."

"That really sounds like Peter," whispered Lovise in the audience. Mathias shushed her,sliding a hand over her mouth.

"That's why we're all here. To be wild and free, and body slam each other, and wear cool costumes, and make up nicknames and uh... so can't we just have this?" Peter walked down to the ring. "Can't we just wrestle?" Topaz walked over. She held out her hand. Peter gave her the microphone.

"No," said Topaz. Everyone gasped. "Because ve are zhe... Notorious O-order of... Wrestling... Haters." Topaz nudged Pearl a bit. The white Gem stared at her, confused. After a few hand gestures, Pearl began to catch on. She took the microphone from Topaz.

"That's right! Um... we wanna stop all wrestling everywhere!" Pearl added. Are you going to let us destroy all wrestling?" She ended with a nervous laugh.

"You gotta save wrestling! Come on!" Mathias shouted. He got up on his chair and held up his sign. It now read "TIGER IS NOT A JERK". He began chanting. "Tiger! Titan! Tiger! Titan!" Crowd starts chanting "Tiger! Titan!" with him. Pearl let go of the microphone. Peter returned it to where it belonged before running over and jumping in the ring.

"We'll stop you!" he said enthusiastically.

"What a turn around!" commented Emil. Peter pretended to fight Pearl. He gently pushed her. Pearl shot him a small nod before falling backwards and was fake defeated. "The jungle duo are fighting back!"

Turquoise and Peter teamed up to fake fight against Topaz. She hit the ground and slid across the ring.

"And they've taken down Captain Gold, but wait wait, it's the... it's the good looking gang with a ladder! Are they planning to steal the belt? No! Oh, they're actually helping Tiger up!" Emil's words faded into the background. Turquoise knelt down beside Topaz. She was still laying on the ground.

"Sorry for... uh... sorry," said Turquoise. Topaz put a hand onher arm.

"Same here," said Topaz.

"Tiger Millionaire has claimed the Tag Team Belts! Tiger and Titan havewon the championship!" said Emil. Cheers came from the crowd as Peter held the Tag Team belts above his head.

"Mathias, I'm really confused," Lovise muttered, clapping slowly with the crowd.

"I love you, Tiger Millionaire," said a pleased Mathias.

* * *

Winning the Tag Team Belts, however, did not stop Peter from getting grounded for sneaking out of the temple multiple times.

* * *

 **In the next episode, Peter befriends a magical lion he finds in the desert during a mission.**


	10. Peter's Lion

**Before we start, someone had asked about the cast of Gemtalia. You can find the entire released cast here:** **cast , as this fanfiction and that blog are written/run by the same person and exist with the same AU in mind. If the link does not work when typed into the URL, please feel free to PM me if you have questions about the cast.**

* * *

 **Episode 10: Peter's Lion**

* * *

Hot couldn't even begin to describe the location for the Gems' latest mission. This time, they took Peter along with them.

Together, the four trudged over the sand dunes. While the Gems walked, Peter was dramatically crawling over the sand.

"W-Water. Water," he croaked out. "So thirsty. For water." Pearl rolled her eyes.

"It'll be safer if you stand up and walk," she said.

"You don't... understand." Peter continued crawling. "This. Is how. You're supposed to act... in the desert." With sweat pouring down his face, Peter flopped down into the sand. He groaned as Topaz pulled him up. He looked around. The area was covered with sand columns. "Is this the thing? The place?"

"Yes, Peter," answered Topaz as she put Peter down. "Zhe pover in zhe structures have turned aimless."

"It's building columns with no roofs, stairs that go nowhere!" Pearl added. "This is out of control!"

"Then I guess we better…" Turquoise said before jumping over Peter and rolling in the sand. "... roll on over there. Heheh."

"That was a bit unnecessary." Turquoise rolled her eyes as she stood. She mimicked Pearl under her breath, not expecting Pearl to hear her. "Excuse me?!"

Out of nowhere, a powerful sounding, but faint roar rang throughout the desert.

"What was that?" asked Peter.

"Let's go!" said Turquoise. She summoned her whip. Turquoise raced off in the roar's direction.

"It'll be best if you stay here, Peter," said Topaz.

"We'll be quick." Pearl added. She summoned her spear before chasing after Turquoise.

"What if something eats me?!" said Peter, sounding worried.

"Do not vorry, Vet One," said Topaz. She wiped the sweat off Peter's face and flicked it back at him "Zhere's nozhing out here zhat can harm you. See you soon."

"Okay." Peter watched as Topaz ran after Pearl and Turquoise. Peter walked over to a column. There was just enough of a shadow under it to provide Peter with shade from the blazing sun.

"It's. So. Desert," Peter muttered to himself. He pulled his shirt over his face to wipe the reforming sweat off of him. He froze when a growl crossed his ears. He pulled down his shirt for a second. After scanning the area, he found that there was nothing there. "Nothing can harm me. I am the Wet One." Peter wiped the sweat off of his face. He heard the growl again. This time, he saw a figure not too far away. Out of fear, Peter dashed behind the column he was leaning on.  
The column chosen that moment to collapse.

Peter came face to face with the figure. It wasn't a person at all. It was a lion.

The lion had round ears, soft green fur, black eyes, a mint-green mane, and a dark brownish heart-shaped nose.

Peter stumbled backwards and in the sand. He crawled away from the creature.

"No no no," Peter repeated over and over. He stopped when a sand wall erected behind him. "No, no!" Peter's arms flew up to his face as the creature loomed over him. He expected an attack. An attack that never really happened. The lion simply yawned and lied down in front of Peter. Peter lowered his shielding. With an extreme amount of caution, the boy approached the lion. The lion's ear twitched. Peter backed away.

"Don't bite!" said Peter, hoping the lion understood him. The lion did not make any movement. Peter approached him again. He carefully placed a gentle hand on the lion's head. Once again, the lion made no retaliation. Peter began to pet him.

"Aw, you just wanted attention," he said as he ran his hand down the lion's strangely colored fur. "Didn't you, didn't you? Your fur, it's so soft." Peter buried his face in the lion's mane. "So, you from around here? I'm just here on business." He climbed onto the lion. The lion didn't do anything, allowing Peter on his back. "I really like your green fur. You're like the plants in the jungle!" Lion shifted his body, causing Peter fall off and lay next to him. "I always wanted an animal friend. But I thought it would be like a goldfish. Or a dinosaur! But I guess fate had other plans for Peter Väinämöinen." The lion put a paw over Peter. "... and his best friend Lion."

Suddenly, a wave of sand fell on the two. As Peter and Lion dug themselves out, Peter could hear familiar voices not to far away.

"Turquoise, bubble it away."

"No, quit being jealous, Pearl. My kill, my keep."

"I'm not jealous. Just be careful, if you drop it on the sand it'll rebuild everything!" Peter could see Pearl, Topaz, and Turquoise getting closer.

"Topaz, Turquoise and Pearl are coming," he said as he stood up. "Quickly, put my head in your mouth!"

"Peter!" shouted Pearl. Peter turned as stiff as a stone. He turned around. The Gems were behind him, weapons drawn. "What is that? What are you doing?!"

"Uh, stop!" exclaimed Peter. "It's okay, look, he's totally tame." Pearl's grip on her spear only tightened.

"That's impossible."

"No it isn't! I-I taught him to say 'I love you.'" When Lion didn't say anything, Peter moved his lips for him. "'I love you.'"

"That's so sweet!" said Turquoise. She had a gem embedded pillow clutched to her chest. "I-I love you too." Pearl sighed.

"Get your hands out of that thing's mouth," she said. Pearl released her spear. "We have to get the Desert Glass out of the desert." She shot a look at Turquoise.

"I got it."

"Let's go, Peter," said Topaz. The Gems made their way to the nearest warp pad.

"Okay, give me a sec," called out Peter. He turned to Lion. "Hey Lion, I gotta go. I had a lot of fun, I feel like you really get me." Lion gave Peter a blank stare. "Shh, this is already too hard for the both of us." He departed from Lion and joined the Gems on the warp pad.

"Turquoise, that pillow needs to be contained," said Pearl. Turquoise waved her off.

"Yeah yeah, I know what to do with it," responded Turquoise.

* * *

When they got back to the Temple, Turquoise commissioned Peter to help her build a fort out of the couch cushions. When they were finished, she placed the Desert Glass pillow on top. And now, she and Peter were sleeping inside their fort.

Peter's small nap was disturbed by something scratching on the front door.

"What's that sound?" mumbled Peter as he rubbed his eyes. Turquoise, still stuck in a half-sleeping state, put a hand over Peter's mouth.

"All I hear is your mouth," she grumbled. Peter moved her hand.

"I thought Gems don't need sleep."

"We don't," Turquoise sighed and turned over. "feels good though." The scratching sound continued. Peter groaned as he crawled out of the fort. He stood up and headed to the front door.

"Probably some kid trying to sell me lava insurance," he muttered. The scratching kept going. "Keep you pants on!" Peter expected a young child when he opened the door. Instead of a child, the lion from the desert sat on Peter's front porch. He gasped.

"Lion, oh my gosh!" said Peter, perking right up. "This is such a surprise! You came all this way to see little old me?" Lion attempted to get through the door. Peter held out his arms to stop him. "Whoa, you can't go in there, Turquoise is pretend sleeping. But we're together again. Now we can do everything best friends do."

* * *

Peter had no idea what best friends did. Or at least any good idea. He stood on top of the cliff that the Temple was built into. Lion was sitting in the sand on the bottom. Peter had the idea to try and see if Lion could catch him.

"Okay, here I come. I'm gonna jump. Get into position, ready?" shouted Peter from the top of the cliff. Lion remained perfectly still. "And, catch me! I'm jumping!" Peter went to jump, but didn't when Lion refused to move. "Catch me! I'm falling! Do it, catch me, I'll die! Eeee!" Lion continued to sit still and Peter still didn't jump. "Okay, obviously, you're not into this—" The rock beneath Peter gave away. He fell from the height of the cliff and onto Lion below him. He groaned. "... game."

* * *

After making sure nothing was broken, which luckily nothing was, Peter went back into the Temple. He came out with a ball and headed back to Lion.

"Okay, gonna throw this ball," he said to Lion. "Here it comes!" Peter threw the ball a good distance away. Lion, however, did not chase after it. He remained perfectly still.

"What?! That throw was so good! Lion, all you gotta do is catch it in your mouth, see?" Peter chased after the ball. He brought it back in his mouth to demonstrate to Lion what he was supposed to do. Lion remained unenthusiastic.

"Aw, you don't like that one either?" said Peter put of disappointment. Lion got up and began to walk away. Peter stood in front of him to stop him. "Okay, wait, I've got something you've gotta like!"

* * *

Peter lead Lion down to the Boardwalk. There stood the Chinese restaurant Peter frequented.

"This is my favorite place to eat. Or one of them," explained Peter as Lion walked behind him. "They have fish. Cats love fish, everybody loves chinese food, so you're gonna love this!" When they got to the restaurant, Peter leaned up to get a look inside. "Woah, this place is jumpin'! Wait here, we're gonna blow some minds."

Peter opened the door and walked inside. Inside, Aurel was eating and Patrick is using his laptop at one of the tables. Only one staff member was on duty.

"Hey guys!" said Peter when he entered. No one reacted."I'm doin' okay, you know? Just gettin' some food." He walked up to the counter.

Waiting for him was the only staff member available. She had long, dark brown hair put back in a long ponytail and golden-honey colored eyes.

"Hi, Lien!" said Peter to get the girl's attention. Lien leaned against the counter.

"What're you having, Peter?" she asked.

"I'll just have my usual, please! Oh, and can you give me two?"

"You must be hungry." Lien headed behind to the kitchen. Peter laughed.

"I'm ordering for two," he said. Peter looked behind him when Patrick audibly spat out his drink.

"Peter's pregnant?!" he exclaimed. Peter shook his head.

"I don't think so, but I have a giant pet lion right outside!"

"You're not 'lion' are you?" said Lien. She walked to the front counter with two plates in her hands. Peter chuckled.

"That's funny. But I'm not."

"I believe it!" said Patrick. He got up from his seat. "Lots of weird stuff happens in Heta City. You'd know if you read my blog: Keep Heta City Weird! I also have buttons!" He tugged on the makeshift button pinned to his shirt.

"Just go outside and see for yourselves," said Peter. He watched as the three in the restaurant went outside to see if Peter was telling the truth.

"This is amazing!" said Patrick from outside. Peter nodded to himself in satisfaction. "It's invisible!" Peter, confused, ran outside to join the others. His jaw hit the floor when he saw the space Lion sat was now empty. Lien, Patrick, and Aurel were waiting for Peter to reveal Lion to them.

"What? He's not invisible. At least I don't think hes supposed to be," said Peter. His hand searched for Lion, hoping the fact was true. "He's green."

"Green? How can he be invisible and green?" Patrick asked. Lien made her way back into the restaurant.

"There's nothing out here Patrick, Peter was 'lion'," she said, swinging the door open. "Sorry for using the same joke twice." She walked back inside.

"Bet you're not even pregnant…" said Patrick as he followed her.

"No, I'm telling the truth, he's real!" shouted Peter. No one listened. He looked to the one person left outside. "Aurel, you believe me right?" Aurel glared daggers at Peter before scurrying into the restaurant. Peter begrudgingly followed.

* * *

Peter walked back to his house, trudging his feet in the sand. He still wasn't completely over Lion's disappearance back on the Boardwalk. When the sound of scratching hit Peter's ears, he picked up his pace and ran the Temple.

In front of the door was Lion. He was scratching relentlessly against it.

"Hey, hey Lion!" shouted Peter as he ran up the steps to the door. "You left me at the restaurant, I looked like a fool! I had to eat two whole plates by myself!" Lion ignored Peter. At long last, his scratching was enough to break through the door. Without hesitation, Lion jumped into the house.

He creaked in, and Peter followed. Turquoise was still sound asleep underneath her pillow fort. Neither Peter or Lion woke her.

"Lion, Lion no! Lion?" said Peter in a harsh whisper. Lion didn't care about being quiet. He roared at Turquoise's fort. His roar acted as a sonic wave, knocking down the fort and pushing back Turquoise.

"Keep it down Peter," Turquoise said with a yawn. She didn't notice Lion at all before she fell back asleep.

"What was that for?" said Peter. He followed Lion's gaze. "The pillow?" Lion was staring at the Desert Glass. Before he could get to it, Peter ran over and snatched it up. He jumped onto his loft. "Is this what you wanted? This pillow? I've been trying to play with you, and feed you, 'cause I thought we were best friends. Did all of that mean nothing to you?" Lion jumped up near Peter, trying to snatch the Desert Glass. Peter ran out of the house and onto the porch. He held the Desert Glass to his chest.

"Fine, I don't care! If you want it, you can have it!" In anger, Peter threw the pillow onto the beach. It landed a good distance away. As soon as the Desert Glass hit the sand, the entire beach shook. The Desert Glass took over the sand, making structures all around. Peter stared out at the chaos he had created. He ran out to get the Desert Glass before it could continue. Topaz and Pearl ran outside the Temple.

"Peter!" shouted Pearl in a panic. "The Desert Glass, it's rebuilding its castle." Turquoise appeared behind her. She was rubbing sleep from her eyes. Pearl turned to her. "Why didn't you bubble it earlier?!"

"Welcome to shrug city, P," said Turquoise with a shrug. Pearl groaned before turning to Peter.

"Don't move, we're coming!"

"Okay!" Peter said, flashing her a thumbs-up. Before the Gems could come and get Peter, sand swirled around the boy and engulfed him in a sandstorm. Peter looked back at where the Desert Glass had landed, shielding the sand from his eyes with his arm. He had to get the Desert Glass before Heta City was taken over by the sand.

Peter pushed through the sharp winds. He forced his way into the eye of the storm. Many sand structures had erected themselves throughout the beach. The Desert Glass rested atop a very tall tower with several sand columns branching out of the tower.

"There it is, the pillow! I have to get it off the sand," Peter said through gritted teeth. He ran at the tower. He made his way to the top of the tower by jumping from the oddly stuck out columns.

* * *

Outside of the sandstorm, the Gems were working and trying their best to break down a massive sandstone wall the Desert Glass had built. It was the only thing keeping them from entering the storm. Topaz was repeatedly punching the wall with her gauntlets. They barely made a dent.

"Zhis vall's not moving!" said Topaz through her teeth.

"We gotta get through before things get any-" said Pearl as she slashed the wall with her spear. She was cut off when Turquoise was launched in the air via an erected column.

* * *

Inside the eye of the storm, Peter continued his trek up the tower. He jumped over several more structures. He getting close to the Glass. With triumph near, Peter picked up his pace. Just as he neared the top of the tall tower, Peter misplaced his step. He slipped. Peter began plummeting towards the ground with a scream.

Peter saw a green blur out of the corner of his eye. The wind was knocked out of him. His fingers gripped around something soft. Whatever had caught Peter landed on the sand. Peter sat up, with a wide grin stretching across his face. Lion had caught him.

"Lion! You didn't come here to steal the pillow, you came here to protect us from it!" said Peter happily. Lion seemed to growl in agreement. Before Peter could celebrate this reunion, the Glass raised more walls around him and Lion. Sand spikes littered the ground. "It's there!" Peter pointed up at the tower. "It's putting up defenses, how are we gonna get up there?!"

Lion had the perfect answer. He let out one of his sonic roars, reducing the spikes in their path.

"Yep, sounds good," said Peter. "Let's go."

Lion roared again. He darted towards the tower, creates a path. He sprinted to the top with Peter on his back. "Now, Lion!'

Lion broke through the final walls of the tower. Peter bent down scooped up the Desert Glass.

The storm immediately dissipated when the Glass left the sand. Lion landed roughly on the ground, and Peter was flung forward with the glass. The sand on the beach had thickened incredibly. The Gems emerged from the sand piles. Peter chuckles nervously as he stood up. He handed the Desert Glass off to Pearl.

"We should've done this in the first place," said Pearl as she bubbled the pillow and Glass. Her glare was directed at Turquoise.

"In my defense, I forgot," said Turquoise with a shrug. Peter turned to Lion, gently stroking his nose.

"So I guess, this is goodbye again," said the downtrodden Peter. "We had some good times, but I'm sure you have other magical stuff, to smash with other magical boys."

"'I love you Peter. I want to stay with you forever!'" said Peter, making it sound like Lion had said it.

"Really?" Peter turned to the Gems. "Guys, you hear that?"

"Are we really going to let him keep that?" Pearl asked Topaz as she sent away the Desert Glass.

"Ve kept Turquoise," stated Topaz before heading back towards the Temple. Pearl oddly began laughing hysterically at Topaz's words.

"'Kept Turquoise'," she said through her laughter. "Oh Topaz, that's priceless!" Pearl followed Topaz and a silent and glaring Turquoise to the Temple.

"Yay, Lion!" cheered Peter before engulfing Lion in a hug.

* * *

 **In the next episode, Peter takes the Gems on _his_ own kind of adventure by bringing them to the Fun Land Arcade, where Topaz becomes enchanted by a rhythm game.**


	11. Arcade Mania

**Episode 11: Arcade Mania**

* * *

Another day began with another mission. The Gems and Peter walked through a dark, cold cavern. Peter wore a thick winter coat to keep him warm.

"Zhis vay," said Topaz in a hushed voice. "Ve have to remain quiet. Ve can't let zhem hear us coming." Peter, Turquoise and Pearl nodded at the order. However, as they continued onward, Peter's jacket started makes a squishing sound as the material rubbed together.

"Peter!" said Pearl in a harsh whisper. "This is a stealth mission! You're making too much noise! Take off the jacket!

"But," said Peter as he clutched his jacket tighter. "I don't wanna catch a cold. I can be quiet. See? Stealth." He stuck arms out straight to not make noise. Pearl rolled her eyes before facing forward.

"Ve're getting close," said Topaz. Pearl ushered Peter forward.

"C'mon then," she said. The Gems continued walking. As they moved onward, Turquoise began impersonating the sound of Peter's jacket swishing.

"Turquoise!" whispered-yelled Peter. The boise was behind him. Turquoise was the only one walking the back. Pearl thought it was Peter's jacket making the boise again. Her eyes were narrowed when she looked at him.

"Peter!" Pearl hissed.

"It wasn't me." Turquoise was grinning. "Turquoise, you're making me look baa-aah!" The part of the ledge Peter was standing on began to give away. Peter flailed his arms, trying to regain his balance.

"Peter!" said Pearl, raising her tone. Peter fell backwards off of the cliff. His screams echoed off of the walls. Before he could hit the ground, two warm and strong arms caught him. He looked up to see Topaz holding him in a rather tight embrace. When they reached the bottom, Topaz put Peter back on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Topaz asked him. Peter responded with a short nod. Any further conversation was halted by a spiked Gem monster emerging from the ground. It began to shootout spikes at the pair. Topaz easily dodged the projectiles.

"Peter!" shouted Pearl and Turquoise. They summoned their weapons and jumped down from the cliff beside Topaz.

"Stay down!" said Topaz. She pushed Peter behind her and summoned her gauntlets. Turquoise wrapped an arm around Peter.

"Come on poofy," she said. Turquoise pulled the boy away from the fight.

"What about Topaz?" asked Peter. He looked over his shoulder. The Gem monster was trying to hit Topaz with its spiked arms. Topaz was too agile and fast a target. With every hit the monster made, it all ended in a miss when it tried to hit Topaz.

"Go, Topaz, go!" said Peter, smiling. Topaz was like his cool mother. He admired her a great deal.

Topaz attacked one of the arms the Gem monster had. She tore it off. Topaz stuck her hand inside the creature's mouth. The monster exploded into blue dust, leaving only the parasite spikes and a spiky gem in Topaz's gauntlet. She immediately bubbled it and headed back towards her team.

"She's so fast," said Peter with sparkling eyes. "Topaz, you're amazing! How'd you even do that?" Topaz seemed extra pleased with Peter's admiration and praise. She grinned.

"Easy," she said. "I can-"  
"Uh… Look!" Pearl interrupted, pointing towards the ground. "The little ones didn't explode." The small spikes burrowed into the ground. "They're drilling away!" Turquoise had a look on her face that read nothing but enthusiasm. She ditched Peter like he was a carton of dead dogs.

"I got it!" shouted Turquoise. She ran over and jumped into one of the holes that the spikes had created. Topaz sighed, running a hand through her wild hair.

"Let zhem go," she said as she teleported the bubble away to the Temple. "Zhey're just parasites. If zhey vant to be a problem, zhey'll have to answer to me."

"So cool," muttered Peter. Topaz pulled Turquoise out of the hole. Turquoise spat out gravel from her mouth.

"I swallowed a rock," she said happily.

* * *

Having finished their mission, the Gems and Peter warped back to the Temple. Before the Gems could get back into said Temple, Peter pulled them away to the Boardwalk.

"We all worked so hard," said Peter when Pearl asked where he was leading them, "we deserve a reward."

"Sounds like you have something in mind," said Pearl. Peter snickered into his hand.

"I'm taking you guys to the best place in Heta City!" Peter raced on ahead of the Gems. He came to a stop in front of an open-door building. "Funland Arcade!" Pearl stared warily at it. Turquoise dashed ahead to meet up with Peter.

"Do we have anything else to do?" Pearl asked Topaz, leaning in so Peter wouldn't hear.

"Ve don't," said Topaz. She smirked a bit before joining up with Peter and Turquoise. A disgruntled Pearl followed.

"Um, don't you need money for that place?" asked Turquoise when she caught up with Peter.

"Oh, don't worry," said Peter. "This one's on…" Peter opened his jacket. Inside were several pockets, each full to the brim with quarters. "me!"

* * *

Peter wasn't hesitant in dashing into the arcade.

"Welcome to a wonderland of funtronic gameventions!" he laughed.

"Humans find such fascinating ways to waste their time," Pearl muttered, taking in the new scenery

"Pearl!" Peter grabbed Pearl's hand. "Pearl, come on, you'll love this game!' He tugged on it, pulling Pearl away from the other Gems. He sat her down at a racing game.

"Road Killer?" Pearl said skeptically as she read the game's titled.

"Yeah, pick the car you like and just go for it!" said Peter, pointing to the screen.

"W-well, which one of these buttons is my turn signal?"

"None of them. Have fun." Pearl opened her mouth to ask another question, but Peter was already gone.

Peter took Turquoise and lead her over to the skeeball machine. He picked up one of the ball after sliding in a quarter. Petter gave it to Turquoise.

"This is Skee Ball," he explained to her. "You roll the ball into the hole, and then you can even win tickets for prizes." He pointed towards ticket booth. Aurel had turned a pile of tickets in. The cashier, Emil, gave him a small moped as a prize. "Woah, Aurel's the ticket master!"

"Cool," Turquoise said with a smirk.

"Alright, good luck." Peter left Turquoise with her mischievous grin.

Lastly was Topaz. Peter took Topaz and lead her to the game he believed she would enjoy.

"Teens of Rage, this game is perfect for you!" said Peter, dragging Topaz to the fighting game. "You seem like a Joe Rock kinda girl. His special move is *thinking* ... Forward, forward, back, tap towards half circle, medium kick- Oh wait! Maybe that's an aerial move. Just punch and you'll be fine." Everything went well as Peter slid the quarter in. That was, until the game antagonized Topaz.

"Come on, punk!" said the screen. Topaz misunderstood the basics of the game. Instead of using the controls, she actually punched the screen and shattered it.

"I did it," she said rather pleased. Peter was nervous.

"Uhh, let's try something else," he said before leading Topaz to another game. It was a punching dummy. "Okay, this is a game you can actually punch." Once again, the game antagonized Topaz.

"Come on, give it your best shot, kid," said the game. With one hit to the side of its head, Topaz sent it flying across the arcade.

"I vin again," said Topaz. She was enjoying herself.

"Uh... uhm, how about that one?" said Peter, pointing over to the game at the front of the arcade. He lead Topaz over to it. "Meat Beat Mania. There's no violence in this game. Just shake the meat, to the beat." He popped in a quarter and handed Topaz the ham controllers. Topaz began to play. Unlike the others before, the game encouraged her. Topaz was performing very well. "Awesome! Topaz, you're so good at this." Peter laughed. "I wonder how the others are doing."  
Peter wandered back over to Pearl. She wasn't doing very well at the game she was playing.

"You're horrible!" said the game. Pearl slammed her hands on either side of the controls.

"Stop saying that!" she said.

"Having fun?" Peter asked as he walked over to her. Pearl was incredibly annoyed.

"Why am I doing so badly? I haven't crashed into anything!"

"You're suppose to crash into everything!"

"What? That's horrible."

"You're horrible!" said the game. Pearl muttered something under her breath. Peter opened his mouth to speak when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was Turquoise. She sat at the top of the skeeball machine, dropping the balls into their holes. Tickets were practically pouring out o the machine.

"Turquoise! What are you doing?"

"Imma win an airplane," Turquoise said simply, dropping down another ball.

"That's cheating! You're gonna get us in so much troub-" Peter was cut off by a familiar, unhappy voice.

"Hey, what happened to Teens of Rage?" It was Emil, who appeared to be the only one ever on duty at Funland.

"Let's go!" said Peter. Turquoise jumped down and headed for the exit. Peter took Pearl by the hand when they ran past her."Pearl, we're leaving!"

"Ugh, good," said Pearl. She was relieved to leave the game. As they headed out, Peter caught sight of Topaz still playing Meat Beat Mania.

"Topaz, we're leaving!" he called to her.

"Are you kidding me?!" shouted Emil from somewhere in the arcade. He had most likely found the punching game. Or what was left of it. "I'm going to get blamed for this!"

"Just… see you at home!" Peter ran out the door to catch up to Pearl and Turquoise.

* * *

The next morning, Turquoise and Pearl were gathered in Peter's section of the Temple. Peter sat at the counter eating his breakfast.  
Turquoise was lounging on the couch, and Pearl was practicing with her spear.

"So, what's today's mission?" asked Peter with a mouthful of cereal. "I hope it's... fighting, a giant... foot!"

"If we're suppose to fight a 'giant foot'," said Pearl with a twirl of her spear. "Topaz would let us know."

"Yeah, Topaz's the boss," said Turquoise. She popped her finger from her ear.

"Well, we're all a team. Topaz just has heightened perception that guides us towards our mission objective."

"Yeah, she's the boss."

"So where is she," Peter said as he put a spoonful of cereal in his mouth. "fighting the foot?"

"She's not 'fighting the foot'," said Pearl. "You know very well that Topaz goes off on missions without us all the time. She's probably doing something very important." Turquoise snickered before sitting up.

"Oh wait, Peter!" she said. "I just remembered, Topaz had a special mission for you!"

"Really?" said a bright-eyed Peter.

"Yeah, she says um, you have to slam your face into that bowl of cereal."

"Okay." Without hesitation, Peter did as he was told and slammed his face into his bowl.

"Good job Peter!" laughed Turquoise. "You stopped the foot!"

"There is no foot!" snapped Pearl. Peter brushed the cereal from his face with his hand.

"Not anymore," he said with a grin. Pearl groaned. Peter wiped his face with his shirt before sliding off of his seat. He went to the closet under the stairs.

"Welp, now that that's done," he said. "Time to comb the beach for quarters with my-" Peter pulled out metal detector. "metal detector!"

* * *

Peter headed out onto the beach with metal detector in hand. He was hoping to find quarters that had either washed up on shore somehow or had been dropped by the tourists.

All Peter had found so far was a silver dollar and another metal detector. With both of the detectors in play, Peter easily got to his prize.

When Peter attempted to pick up the quarters below, something emerged from the sand. They were the drill-like parasites from the day before. It stuck onto his hand. Peter dropped the metal detectors as he started to rapidly shake his hand to get it off.

"Help!" he shouted. He hoped that someone would hear. Peter finally managed to fling the parasite upwards. In the air, it turns into a drill shape and attacked from above. Peter rolled out of the way as it plunged into the sand. Several more parasites appeared from the sand. They turned into drills and aimed for Peter. Peter grabbed one of the metal detectors to deflect the attack. All the drills did was break the detector. Peter backed away. Just in the nick of time, Pearl and Turquoise came rounding the corner of the cliffside.

"Peter!" shouted Pearl. Peter got to his feet and ran over to the Gems. The parasites followed him.

"It's the little guys!" said Turquoise. She side-stepped an attack.

Pearl summoned her spear. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't land a single hit on the small fast targets. Countless more of the parasites appeared out from the sand. They began to rain down upon them, forcing them to flee.

"They're everywhere, why didn't we see this coming?!" shouted Pearl.

"We need Topaz!" said Peter, doing his best to dodge the attacks coming at him.

"We don't know where she is!"

Peter's mind raced to where he thought Topaz would be. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the arcade. The thought hit him. The arcade was where they last saw Topaz. And she hadn't come home. Peter let out a small gasp.

"Meat Beat Mania…" he muttered. He ran towards the arcade.

"Peter, where are you going?!" yelled Pearl. Peter didn't hear her.

* * *

Peter ran into the arcade. He had been right. Standing there was Topaz. She still was playing Meat Beat Mania.

"Topaz!" said Peter, breathless. "You gotta come quick. Topaz, those little guys are back and... and they're a problem!" Peter looked over at the screen. Topaz's score had surpassed any that he had seen so far. "Woah, I've never seen anyone get this far. B-but you gotta get back and help the others." Topaz remained ignorant of the boy's presence. Peter tugged on her jumpsuit. "Uh, Topaz? Topaz come on. Topaz, this is serious, Pearl and Turquoise are in trouble." Peter waved a hand in front of her visor. With the height difference between them, Peter had to jump up and down to even reach her visor. "Topaz, why. Are you. So. Hard. To. Whoa!" Peter lost his balance on the last jump. His hand grabbed at Topaz's visor. He pulled it off. Looking up at Topaz, Peter gasped. He dropped the visor onto the ground, allowing it to dissolve into light.

Unlike the other Gems, Topaz had two sets of eyes. She had four eyes in total. Her top pair were brilliant green. Her bottom pair were a dazzling violet. The four eyes move rapidly with the game's movements.

"I'll save you Topaz," said Peter when he saw her eyes' movements. Peter ran around the back and unplugged the game. This didn't stop Topaz. Topaz threw the controllers up in the air. She sent out a surge of electricity from her hands. The game reactivated. Topaz caught the controllers and continued playing.

"The rhythm has her," said Peter with a small gasp. He turned to the game, digging around in his pockets. "The only way to defeat... the beat... is with meat!" He pulled out a quarter and took up the second player position. "I have to win!" The game started.

Topaz showed no mercy in taking on Peter. Again and again, Peter kept losing to her. Topaz had a perfect rhythm. He wasted all of his quarters on a lost effort.

"I can't do it," he said. He began pulling on Topaz's clothes again. "Topaz, snap out of it! What's wrong with you?! You got to stop!" She didn't. Peter felt anger grow in his veins. He grabbed the game console and began to pull. Peter tore the console off the main machine. He slammed it into the screen repeatedly. The game was destroyed by the time he finally dropped it.

Topaz stood still for a moment. Her sense soon returned to her. She dropped the controllers. Topaz rubbed her eyes, dragging her hands down her face.

"Peter!" she said when she saw the boy.

"Topaz!" Peter said relieved. He almost ran at Topaz, wrapping his arms around her. Topaz bent down to his level.

"You von," she said. "Zhank you." Peter pulled away.

"Topaz! The drill parasites! They're-" Topaz put a finger to his lips.

"I already know." She tapped her temple. Topaz seemed to notice her missing visor. She summoned it again, hiding her four eyes from view.

"Peter!" shouted a voice. Peter turned to see am angry Emil walking towards him. Topaz rushed outside to help Pearl and Turquoise.

"I can help too!" said Peter. He went to go and help, but Emil held him by the back of his shirt.

"Oh no, no, no," said Emil. "Don't you go running out of here."

* * *

Emil put Peter to work. The boy had to pay off the games he had damaged this morning and the day before. That didn't stop Peter for cheering on his favorite team when Emil wasn't looking. However, Peter couldn't help but wonder one thing. He wanted to know why Topaz had four eyes. Later that day, he shrugged it off. Topaz didn't bring it up and didn't answer any of Peter's questions when he asked. But he was determined to find out about it one day in the future.

* * *

 **In the next episode, Peter encourages Turquoise and Pearl to fuse together into a "giant woman". Turquoise and Pearl, however, keep on arguing.**


	12. Giant Woman

**Episode 12: Giant Woman**

* * *

It was another quiet day in Heta City. Topaz was out on a mission, leaving Pearl and Turquoise to watch over Peter. Turquoise and Pearl were playing checkers on the beach. Peter, perched on a life guard chair with a bucket of water balloons next to him. Turquoise concentrated on her next move. She pushed her piece forward.

"Take that!" she said with confidence.

"Wow, Turquoise, I'm impressed," said Pearl. She would have said more, but was struck with a water balloon from Peter.

"Now it's your move, Pearl," said Peter. Pearl shook the water off her face.

"Peter, are the water balloons really necessary?" she asked.

"Yeah, this way the moves really matter."

"But it's checkers! Every single move matters."

"It sounds like someone's being a sore loser," said Turquoise as she spun a strand 9f wet hair around her finger. Pearl grinded her teeth together before looking down at the board.

"I'm not a sore loser," she said, picking up one of her pieces to defeat Turquoise in one move, "because I just won the game."

"Wha—?!" Turquoise's mood changed instantly to a happier one. "Here it comes!" She held arms out. Peter pelts her with all water balloons. Turquoise flopped onto the sand. "Feels good to lose."

"I certainly hope that's not the same attitude you have during battle," said Pearl as she stood up. Turquoise stood as well, brushing the sand from her body.

"You're no fun anymore," she groaned. "This is why we never form Larimar."

"We don't form Larimar because you're difficult and a mess," Pearl shot back. Turquoise's eyes narrowed.

"We don't form Larimar because you're uptight and—" Peter jumped down from the lifeguard chair. He landed between Pearl and Turquoise. He pushed them apart.

"Guys! Guys!" he said to get their attention. "What is Larimar?" Turquoise and Pearl exchanged a look with each other. Turquoise sighed.

"It's the two of us, mashed together," she said, clasping her hands together. Pearl scoffed.

"Is water just hydrogen and oxygen 'mashed' together?" she said. This earned clueless looks from Turquoise and Peter. Pearl sighed "... Analogy wasted. Look here, Peter." Pearl used her Gem to create miniature holograms of her and Turquoise. "When we synchronize our forms we can combine into a powerful fusion gem named Larimar." The two miniatures spun around before combining into one. Turquoise dissipated them with a wave of her hand.

"Except I don't dance like that," said Turquoise. While Pearl seemed angry with Turquoise, Peter got even more excited about the idea of fusion.

"Wow, that's so cool!" he said. "But tell me more about Larimar!"

"Well, Peter, she's an ultra powerful, stone cold bi-" Turquoise began to say. She was cut off by a glare from Pearl, who drew a line across her neck. "Uh… betty— that part's me. And she's like, kinda smart— that part's Pearl."

"Turquoise is attempting to say that Larimar is an amalgam of our combined magical and physical attributes fused into a single entity," said Pearl. She slid her fingers together. "In simpler terms, Turquoise and I merge into one being. Larimar has a combination of our magic power and appearance."

"Wow, can you do it right now?" Peter asked, his eyes sparkling with stars. "Come on, form Larimar!" Turquoise scoffed at the idea.

"And we only form Larimar when it's absolutely necessary," Pearl said, continuing her earlier statement. Luck was on Turquoise and Pearl's side. Before Peter could ask anymore about Larimar, a bluish light emitted from the Temple.

"Topaz's back!"

* * *

Peter, Pearl and Turquoise went back to the Temple to greet Topaz upon her return. Peter ran up to Topaz.

"Did you bring me anything like you promised?" Peter asked. Topaz held a stained rock to him.

"I never break a promise," she said as Peter took it.

"Whoa, a rock! Thanks, Topaz." Peter escaped up to his bedroom.

"So, was your mission a success?" Pearl asked. Topaz nodded.

"I have located zhe Geode beetles of Heaven and Earth," she said. "Ve should split up to retrieve zhem."

"Well I'm going with not Pearl," said Turquoise.

"Well that's perfect because I don't want to go with grammatically incorrect people anyway."

"Is her talking about me?" said Peter as he walked down the steps.

"You three vill go together," said Topaz. "I'll go alone." Pearl and Turquoise's eyes went wide.

"What? Why?" they said in unison.

"Zhe Earth Beetle's at zhe bottom of the boiling lava lake, and only I can svim in zhe molten rock." With a wave of her hand, Topaz changed her visor into a pair of goggles.

"You'll find zhe Heaven Beetle at zhe top of zhe Sky Spire. It's safer."

"You mean boring-er," said Turquoise, most likely louder than she meant to.

"You mean more boring," corrected Pearl.

"So you agree with me." Pearl groaned.

"Come on, you two, let's go." Peter jumped down the last few steps and rushed to join Pearl and Turquoise on the warp pad.

"Peter, be sure to keep zhe harmony!" said Topaz moments before the warp pad activated. Peter gave her a short nod.  
"No problem," he said, giving her a small salute. "Today's going to be all about HAR-MON—" The warp pad activated, cutting off Peter's sentence.

* * *

The next thing Peter knew, he and the two remaining Gems had transported to mountainside ruins. Peter stumbled off of the warp pad, not entirely used to using the warp system yet. He stared up at the cliff.

"Woah…" he breathed. "Is this where the Heaven Beetle lives?"

"Apparently," said Pearl.

"All the way at the top," Turquoise added. The two Crystal Gems and Peter walked up the mountain, heading towards the Sky Spire and the Heaven Beetle. During this forced silence, Peter took the chance to ask more about Larimar.

"So, when you fuse, do you turn into a giant giant woman, or just a regular-sized giant woman?" he asked Pearl and Turquoise. Turquoise responded with a groan, and Pearl remained silent. "Does one of you control the right arm and the other control the left arm?"

"Enough, Peter," said Pearl. She and Turquoise picked up their pace.

"Wait, these are extremely important questions!" Peter ran to catch up with his two guardians.

* * *

Peter continued asking questions until Pearl finally managed to somehow get him to stop. They eventually came to the bottom of a long stairway. Peter stared up at the inclined path.

"There sure are a lot of stairs," he said. "How about you fuse into Larimar and give me a piggy back ride?"

"No," both Turquoise and Pearl said immediately.

"What about if you eat a hotdog? Whose stomach does it go into? Or do you share the same stomach?" Peter laughed. "That would be gross." A rustling came from a nearby bush. Turquoise and Pearl summoned their respective weapons. Only a goat jumped out eating a piece of the bush.

"Look out! It's a magical goat guardian!" said Peter. "Quick, you have to form Larimar! It's the only way to defeat it!" He ducked behind Pearl, hoping his plan would work.

"Hurry before it kills us all!" He watched as Pearl walked up to the goat, poking it with the dull end of her spear.

"Peter, we only fuse for deadly situations, does this look like a deadly situation?" she asked, looking back at Peter. The goat chomped down on the end of her spear. "Hey, bad mountain goat!" Pearl pulled on the end to free it. When the goat finally let go, the force Pearl had bulit in her body sent her toppling over onto her back. Turquoise laughed harder than anyone. Peter just frowned.

"Darn it. Aw, I'm never going to get to see Larimar." Peter sighed.

* * *

" _All I wanna do is see you turn into a giant woman, a giant woman! All I wanna be is someone who gets to see a giant woman. All I wanna do is help you turn into a giant woman, a giant woman!_ " Peter sang on repeat as he, Pearl, and Turquoise- along with the goat Peter had named Peter Jr.- continued their trek up the mountain. " _All I wanna be is someone who gets to see a giant woman. Oh I know it'll be great and I just can't wait to see the person you are together. If you give it a chance you can do a huge dance because you are a giant woman._ " All the way up the mountain, Pearl and Turquoise antagonized one another. They weren't working together and weren't in sync at all. Peter decided to up the anti. " _You might even like being together and if you don't, it won't be forever. But if it were me, I'd really wanna be a giant woman, a giant woman! All I wanna do is see you turn into a giant woman~_."

Peter's song finally stopped when he, Pearl, Turquoise and the goat reached a pathway. In the distance was a small temple, most likely containing the Heaven Beetle. The only thing that stood between them and the Heaven Beetle now was what the pathway was made up of. Floating platforms of land. The goat easily jumped on the masses, making his way to the temple.

"Wait up Peter Jr.!" shouted Peter. He went to jump on the land platforms. Pearl caught him by his shoulder before he could.

"I'm not sure you can make those jumps," she said. Peter got a sly grin on his face.

"You could fuse into Larimar, and then lay across the rocks like a bridge!" he suggested. Pearl and Turquoise looked at each other with what Peter believed was a strange look. Pearl turned away.

"We don't need Larimar to get across."

"Can you do it anyway?" Peter begged. "Pleeease? It would be easier, wouldn't it?" Turquoise made her way to the front.

"Not as easy as this!" she said. Turquoise picked Peter up and threw him on a floating platform. She jumped after him.

"Turquoise, that was a really good idea," said Peter ince Turquoise helped him up. She smirked.

"Hah, I know, I'm full of 'em." Pearl, however, didn't think this was a good idea. She seemed almost worried.

"Come on Pearl, it's safe. Just look." Peter jumped around on the floating rock to demonstrate his point. Turquoise joined him. She jumped a little too hard, sending Peter off of the edge. The two Gems snapped into a mode they often used around Peter. Rescue mode.

Pearl quickly jumped after Peter. Turquoise summoned her whip and wrapped it around her waist. Pearl caught Peter in her arms. She held onto him tightly as Turquoise pulled them both up. Peter stared at the both of them before slowly smiling.

"That was so great how you worked together," he said. "Why don't you do that all the time?" Pearl and Turquoise glanced at each other before turning away. At this rate, Peter doubted that he would get to see Larimar.

* * *

For what seemed like forever, the Gems finally arrived at the top of the Sky Spire. Peter groaned when they finally did.

"I can't feel my legs anymore," Peter complained. He looked up when they crossed through the temple. In the center of a fountain pool was an even smaller temple. Peter ran to it.

"It's just where Topaz said it would be," sai Pearl. "The Heaven Beetle should be inside." Peter dropped to his knees and peered inside the tiny temple.

"Check it out, it's even got a little beetle bedroom," he said, looking around. "And little beetle bongos, and a little beetle baby book." Pearl dropped down next to him.

"But where's the beetle? It's supposed to be here, the heaven beetle wouldn't leave, would it? Oh, it could be anywhere!" Turquoise chuckled.

"Maybe you should freak out some more," she said, sarcasm dripping in her tone. "That's really gonna help us find it." Pearl stood up.

"I can't believe your attitude, Turquoise," she said. "And now you're just slouching over here doing nothing."

"Hey, it's not my fault the beetle isn't there. Why do you have to make things worse by squawking at me?!" Peter Jr., aka Peters goat, began to bleat.

"I don't squawk!"

"Yeah, you're squawking at me and commenting on my posture!"

"This is squawking! Squawk, Squawk!" Peter stood up. He had enough of Pearl and Turquoise's arguing.

"Hey, cut it out!" he said, "You're scaring Peter Jr.!" Just then a giant bird creature emerged from under the small lake. It swallowed Peter Jr. whole. Peter gasped. "My son…"

Pearl summoned her spear and threw it at the monster. It swallowed the weapon as well. "In here, guys!" shouted Turquoise, motioning over to the larger of the two Sky Spire buildings. The Gems retreated inside.

"Our weapons don't work against it alone," said Pearl. "You saw it. It swallowed my spear!" Peter got an idea.

"Guys this is great!" said Peter excitedly. "Now's the perfect time for you two to form Larimar!" The bird began to peck at the roof of the room. Pearl and Turquoise looked at each other and nodded. Peter watched as Turquoise and Pearl took their places at opposite sides of the room.

The two Gems bowed to each other. Their gems glowed brightly. Pearl spun with the grace of a ballerina. She looked over at Turquoise. The teal gem was dancing rather obscenely, moving her body into positions and moves Pearl could never do. Pearl looked away and audibly groaned. She spun towards the center of the room. Turquoise danced her way to the center as well. Without warning, she took Pearl's hand and pulled her down into her arms. Because she didn't know what Turquoise was going to do, Pearl's elbow ran smack dab into Turquoise's face. In the messed up position they were in, both Pearl and Turquoise's bodies turned into masses of light. The two masses merged together. Before they could even form a solid being, the mass shook and became unstable. Turquoise and Pearl snapped apart, landing on opposite sides of the room.

"So you wanna try that again?" asked Turquoise, sitting up. "With less hitting me in the face this time?"

"Well, it would have worked if your movements weren't so erratic and formless," said Pearl. She stood up, brushing the dirt from her skirt. Turquoise got up.

"So it's all my fault?" she said, walking over to meet Pearl. "Ho ho, you totally weren't even trying to sync with my dancing. You should know how I dance by now!" Pearl placed a hand on Turquoise, pushing her back. Peter sprang up in between them.

"Stop!" he said, holding them back. "Come on, guys, please stop fighting. If you can't get along with each other, I might never get to see your awesome fusion powers." The bird squawked loudly from wherever it was. "And I might get eaten by a giant bird!" Suddenly, the giant bird broke through the roof and swallowed Peter down whole. He only heard one word.

"Peter!"

* * *

Peter landed in the soft inside of the bird with a thud. He shakily got to his feet, looking around. The inside of the bird was littered with junk and bones. Peter shivered. On pile of junk was Peter's goat friend. He was chewing on something.

"Peter Jr.!" he said happily. Peter climbed to the top of the pile. "How can you eat at a time like this?" Peter got a better look at what Peter Jr. was munching on. It was a green, yellow and white beetle creature with a gem embedded onto its back. "Hey, is that the Heaven Beetle? Let me see it." Peter grabbed beetle but the goat refused to let go. "Hey, be a good goat and give me the magic bug!"

A rumbling from outside caused piles to break and both Peter and the goat fell. Peter managed to pry the Heaven Beetle away from the goat.

"I got it!" Peter said. Peter Jr. attempts to eat th Heaven Beetle again. "No! B-bad goat! You're no son of mine!" Peter jumped and yelped as three giant arms penetrated the biar one hy one. "What's going on?" An arm grabbed the goat. "Peter Jr.!" Peter screamed himself when an arm seized him. It pulled him out of the bird.

* * *

Peter was being tightly held by a woman. She was clutching onto Peter like her life depended on it. In the action of freeing Peter, she destroyed the bird's form. Holding onto Peter and the goat, the woman landed gracefully in the water below. She put Peter down. His eyes widened when he got a look at his savior.

The woman was over two feet taller than Peter. She had icy blue skin, and thick, wavy, white hair. Her hair extended slightly past her shoulder blades, and was extremely messy. The sides of her hair were pulled back into a braid. Her bangs resembled greatly Pearl's. Her eyes were a stunning bluish hue. She had four arms, two on each side. Her outfit consisted of off-white, knee-length leggings and white flat boots. She had a pastel blue top with a drape in the front and back that went down to her shins, featuring an accented star at the base.

The thing that drew Peters attention the most were the gems she had on her body. She had two gemstones in the same positions and had the same shape as Turquoise and Pearl's gemstones. The gemstones were colored different, however, with both of them being light blue and white. It took Peter a second to realized who had saved him.

"Larimar?" he said, earning no looked on as the bird's form into the smaller versions, attacking Larimar and Peter. The fusion picked up Peter. Larimar slid down the spire and jumped across the platforms, landing safely on the main put Peter down again.

"Stay low," she ordered. Her words were spoken in a voice that melded Turquoise's and Pearl's.

Larimar stepped forward. She summoned a both Turquoise's whip and Pearl's spear. With a snap of the whip, she combined them into a large bow. She drew back the string, allowing an arrow made of pure energy to form. She fired. It hit the flock, coating them all in gem bubbles. Larimar lowered her bow, allowing it to dissipate. She turned back to Peter and offered out her hand.

"Uh... do you…" Peter said nervously, "...know who I am?" Larimar laughed under her breath.

"All you wanna do, is see me turn into—" sang Larimar. Peter gasped.

"A giant woman!"

* * *

Together, Larimar and Peter returned to on the warp pad. They warped back to the Crystal Temple. Topaz had already returned and was drying off her hair when she heard them warp in.

"We're back!" said Peter as he stepped off the warp pad.

"Zhe Heaven Beetle," said Topaz as she dropped the towel around her neck. Larimar gasped, her eyes going wide.

"I don't 'ave it," she said. Larimar's form glitched out and began to come undone. Turquoise and Pearl split apart, landing on sides of the warp pad. They both shot up.

"Turquoise, you got distracted!" shouted Pearl.

"Hey, you were the one getting carried away with all those fancy backflips!" yelled Turquoise.

"Wait a second!" Peter said before he dug into his pocket. He pulled lht the Heaven Beetle. "I've got the beetle!"

"Good job, Peter," said a satisfied Topaz. She took the beetle, placed it in a cage with another beetle, and bubbled it. "I also see you helped your teammates fuse." Turquoise and Pearl stare at each other with a gentle glance. They both turned away.

"And all I had to do was get eaten by a bird."

"Nice vork, you'll be great at fusing one day." Topaz messed up Peter's hair.

"Yeah…" The thought hit Peter. "Wait! I can do that too?!" Topaz nodded.

"Ve'll see. I'll teach you all about it for your birthday, alright?"

"I can't wait!" Topaz smirked. She motioned for Pearl and Turquoise to follow her into the temple.

* * *

Pearl and Turquoise stared at Topaz as she allowed the beetles' bubble to float among the others. They looked at each other before looking back at their leader.

"Topaz," said Pearl after a long silence. "Are you sure you want tell him on his birthday? September is still far away. Peter is a smart boy when he wants to be."

"Yeah, I have to agree with Pearl on this one," Turquoise added. "He's gonna figure it out when he puts the pieces together." Topaz laughed as she turned back to her team. She leaned against the lava pool in the middle of the room.

"We've been keeping zhis secret for twelve years," said Topaz nonchalantly. "Vhat's one more?"

"I suppose you have plan, then?" asked Pearl as she crossed her arms. Topaz nodded. Aas she told the Gems her plan, all three of the Gems concocted the perfect surprise for Peter's birthday.

* * *

 **In the next episode, Peter learns about the Gems' age and decides to throw a birthday party to make up for all the ones they missed.**


	13. So Many Birthdays

**Episode 13: So Many Birthdays**

* * *

Something was stinking up the Temple. There was nothing more to it. From its source, the stench had begun to waft into Peter's room. Now, the Gems had to find it. They were searching through the one place they knew it would be. Turquoise's room.

Peter and the Gems walked through the piles of random junk in Turquoise's room, in search of the object causing the foul odor.

"How can you live like this?" asked Pearl in disgust.

"It was fine 'til you guys started whining," said Turquoise. Pearl had her fingers over her nose.

"Whining?! The whole temple reeks!" Peter was off in a corner, probing through garbage with a stick. His stick came in contact with a tinfoil-wrapped object.

"I found it!" he called out. The Gems walked over to his location. Pearl gagged at the odor coming from whatever was inside the tinfoil.

"What manner of magical alloy is this?" Peter unwrapped the tinfoil. The smell increased.

"It's a burrito," said Topaz, covering he nose.

"It's the Tuna Burrito from Aqua-Mexican!" said Turquoise. She took the burrito from Peter.

"That place closed like five years ago!" said Peter. Turquoise took a bite. Peter flinched in disgust, and Pearl looked on in horror. Turning away, Peter caught sight of a particular painting. "Huh, what's this?" Upon closer inspection, he saw that the painting was of Topaz, Turquoise, Pearl, and his late mother, Emerald. They were all posed on a boat, dressed as if it were the 1700s. Topaz was punching a shark. "It kinda looks like you guys and my mum." Pearl got excited when she saw what Peter was talking about.

"Oh Peter, that is us," she said.

"Really?"

"Zhe hard part vas getting zhe shark to pose," added Topaz.

"Why is everyone dressed like old timey people?" Peter asked. Pearl picked up the painting.

"They are old timey people," Pearl said. It took Peter a minute to speak again.

"Wait, but that would mean…" Peter said before the idea hit him. "How old are you guys?"

"Much older than any human."

"Does that mean you'll live forever?!" asked Peter excitedly. Pearl shook her head.

"No, no. We don't age, but we can still get hurt and die," she explained. Turquoise keeled over with sickened look on her face from burrito and moaned. Pearl looked down at her. "... but not from food poisoning."

"I just can't believe you guys are like a bazillion years old! How do you find a cake big enough for all those candles?" Pearl and Topaz looked at each other.

"Ve don't really celebrate birthdays," said Topaz. Peter released a heavy gasp.

"Why not?!" he asked.

"It's just not our vay."

"Well I can't just ignore this travesty of injustice. I pledge that you will have your birthdays, with all the candy, cake, and ice cream you've been denied." At the sound of all that food, Turquoise finally vomited on the floor.

* * *

Peter sent out on the task of celebrating the Gems' birthdays. He dug out his old birthday decorations and set up a party on the beach. The Gems sat at the part. Turquoise sat on a fancy chair and wore a royal cape, the others sat on folding chairs and Lion played in the background with a stray streamer. Peter placed a crown on Turquoises head.

"And the birthday queen is, Turquoise!" announced Peter. "I hope you like it, Dad made me this outfit and it brings me special birthday luck every year." Pearl pulled down a balloon with a face drawn on it.

"Um, Peter? I know you put a lot of effort into… putting faces on things," she said, "But could it be that we're just a tad mature for this ritual?" Turquoise snatched up two party hats and snapped them on either side of her head. She looked like she had pigtails, much like Pearl's. to simulate Pearl's pigtails.

"Boop," said Turquoise as she poked Pearl's nose.

"Turquoise!" Pearl began chasing after Turquoise. "You will remove that this instant!"

"Wait!" shouted Peter. Turquoise stopped long enough for Pearl to remove the hats from her head. "Here." Peter offered Turquoise a bat with a ribbon on it.

"Awww, thanks!" said Turquoise, taking the bat. "I'll use it all the time!" She motioned to hit Pearl with bat. Peter immediately stopped her.

"No! It's for the piñata." Peter held up the paper-mache piñata he attached to a stick for Turquoise to hit. "The Piñata is an artifact from ancient Aqua-Mexico."

After being blindfolded, Turquoise began to swing wildly, almost hitting Peter. Peter ran away from her. He gave the Piñata to Topaz and hid behind her. With Turquoises blind hitting, she began striking Topaz by accident.

"Am I… getting… close?" Turquoise asked in between each swing. She hit Topaz's cheek.

"Higher," aaid Topaz. Turquoise peeked out from under the blindfold. She jumped up and knocked the piñata far into the ocean. She threw the bat aside.

"Ha, what next Peter?" she asked.

"Well, you were supposed to get delicious candy when you broke it open," Peter said with a downtrodden sigh. Turquoise frowned.

"Wait, you had candy and you didn't just give it to us?"

"There will be more sweet treats at Pearl's party, I promise."

* * *

For Pearl's party, Peter moved up to a cliff. Peter had dressed himself in a clown costume and Pearl wore the birthday outfit.

"Happy Birthday!" said Peter.

"Peter! That is a brave look." said Turquoise.

"No, it's funny."

"How?" Pearl asked with a tilt of her head. Peter opened his mouth to explain, but stopped.

"Oh geez, I'm breaking character," he muttered. "Wait wait wait. I wrote some jokes!-" Peter took out pages of his jokes "Why did Pearl throw butter out the window?"

"You did what?" Turquoise asked Pearl.

"To see a butter fly!" Pearl seemed hurt by Peter's joke.

"I never did that," said Pearl. "Peter, are you telling lies?"

"N-no," Peter stuttered, "Oh, I know! Pearl, do you like pie?"

"I _do_ like pie." Peter got a pie out of a picnic basket he had brought up with them.

"Well then you're in luck, I baked you a pie." Peter's tone turned sarcastic. "I sure hope nothing happens to it!~"

"Yes, me too." Peter walked forward and intentionally made himself trip. His joke was ruined when Pearl caught him. "Woah, Peter, I've got you. Be careful, you almost fell right on that-" Peter shoved the pie in his face.

"See, Pearl? It's funny!" Peter laughed. Pearl backed up nervously behind Topaz. Pearl whispered something to Topaz.

"Pearl says she's all partied out and she's ready to go home," said Topaz.

"This isn't going at all like it should," said Peter. He took off his rainbow wig, shaking out his real hair. "I've got to pull out the ultimate birthday."

* * *

Peter took everyone down to an empty parking lot for the last party. In the lot, there were three small kiddie cars. Topaz wears the birthday outfit this time.

"Okay, there's no way you're not gonna love this!" said Peter. He pointed to the three cars. "It's kazoo racers! He picked up a kazoo from a nearby car. "You get in a car, you play a kazoo, what more could you want?" Peter held out three more kazoos to the Gems. "Dad used to do this for me every year." Pearl looked at Peter anxiously before leaning over to Topaz.

"I think this is why aging makes humans die!" she said in a harsh whisper. Topaz sighed.

"Peter, thank you for zhe birthday parties," she told Peter, "but I don't zhink ve'll need anymore." Peter's face fell.

"Why not?" he asked. Topaz removed the crown from her head.

"Our age is only an illusion and Pearl's pretty sure zhis ritual is more for human children."

"Nothing against children," Pearl said quickly when she saw Peter's expression.

"Children?" Peter repeated. Everyone gets to have birthdays, seriously, give it a try. You're never too old."

"Vhat Pearl meant to say is," Topaz continued,"ve're just too big."

"You're not too big. Y-you just get in," said Peter. His voice was beginning to crack. Peter swallowed down his rising emotion and attempted to get in one of the small cars. He couldn't. "And then, uh…" Turquoise took the chance to shapeshift her form into that of a small child. She crawled up into one of the cars beside Peter.

"I can fit! Which way to the baby war?" Turquoise said before she started driving around. "Eat tread, dirtbags!" Turquoise's actions didn't cheer up Peter.

"What if birthdays are just for little kids?" he said, staring down at the asphalt, "What if even I'm too old?" Turquoise drove up next to him.

"No way! You totally fit!" She picked him up and tried to get him into the car. It failed. "Oh, my bad, you are too old." Peter groaned, leaning his cheek onto his hand.

"Are you okay?" Pearl asked.

"I just need to think." Peter got up out of the car. "Kazoo Racers suddenly seems undignified." He walked off, leaving the Gems behind.

* * *

Peter didn't return home that afternoon. It was dusk, and Peter was still trudging around Heta City. Ocean mist began to crawl up on the Boardwalk. It surrounded Peter like a blanket.

"I never realized birthdays meant leaving things behind," Peter said out loud to no one in particular. "All these parties, ugh, so embarrassing." Peter was distraught enough to not notice his gem glow and activate. Peter's body grew, and his voice turned into a crack. Peter had matured into a teenager without even noticing it. He did notice Aurel playing a game inside the arcade. "Oh Aurel, so young, so innocent." He walked into the arcade, spotting one of his favorite games.  
"Whacker Man Jr.!" He looked around nervously. "Ooh, I can't be seen playing a childish game like Whacker Man Jr. I better stick to sophisticated games, like regular Whacker Man."

* * *

The game did cheer up Peter, but only for a small while. He returned to the Boardwalk again.

"That was fun, but a boy on the cusp of manhood can't spend the whole day wackering," he muttered to himself. Peter caught glimpse of a Help Wanted sign on a T-Shirt Shop. "I need to take control of my life." Peeter didn't see his gem activate once again. The emerald aged him into a full grown man, his voice deepening. "It's time, to get a proper job."

Peter entered the store, looking at shirts on display.

"But which one? Surf Master? No. Love Doctor?" Peter said. He cringed. "I'm too squeamish. Ah, now this is the job for me." Peter left the store, replacing his star t-shirt with a shirt that read "Professional Beach Hunk".

"Ha, this day went so fast, I need a pick-me-up." As Peter walked towards the convenience store, his Gem activated the third time that day. Peter entered the store, but as a middle aged man with balding hair instead of a twelve year old boy.

"Two of the usual please," he said to Mathias, who was working the register that day. "I've had quite a day." The cashier laughed.

"You must be confused pal," said Mathias. "I work here almost everyday and I've never seen your face before."

"Oh hardy har, Mathias. I used to make jokes," Mathias looked over at Lovise as she emerged from the backroom. He looked confused beyond belief. "But you know what? I've had a lot of time to think today and sometimes you gotta smarten up, act like an adult. Because one day, if you don't, everyone you know is gonna grow up without you. And then you won't have little Peter to pick on anymore because I'll be a grown up too."

"Peter... who?" asked Lovise, looking Peter up and down. Peter's eyes widened.

"Peter Emerald Väinämöinen!" he shouted, slamming his hands on the counter. "And I want that doughnut, right there!" Peter looked at the case. His reflection made his heart almost stop. He stumbled backwards.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"I'm... OLD!"

"Yeah, and nuts!" Mathias said, making the universal sign for crazy. Peter didn't pay attention.

"I'm going to have to eat fiber cereal, all my teeth are gonna fall out, and then, I'll have to eat oatmeal and it'll be sugar-free!" he complained. His gem activated again, pushing his age further. "Sugar-free!" Peter began wheezing, having trouble breathing in this state. He sat down at the one table in the store. "I need to reverse this!" Lovise walked out from behind the counter and crouched down to Peter's level in an attempt to comfort him. "I need, a 'reverse birthday'." Peter got an idea. "The king costume." He looked up at Mathias and Lovise.

"Will you help me into my birthday suit?" Lovise's expression goes blank, Mathias became slightly amused. Lovise took Peter's request in an entirely wrong way. She chased Peter out of the store with a stool.

Peter made it to the beach before his back gave out. He began to limp.

"I'm... too... old... for this," he said in between deep breaths. His gem activated, aging him into a very old man that could have been on his deathbed. Peter collapsed on the sand. His luck turned when a face he was glad to see came towards him. "Lion…"

Peter shakily rose a hand to his friend's face. Lion nuzzled Peter's hand. Without hesitation, Lion picked him up and ran towards the temple to get help.

* * *

Back outside the Temple, the Gems were cleaning up the last party out of all three. Pearl picked up some streamers splattered with wet sand.

"You know, Peter was right," she said. "This is fun." Turquoise flipped over the cleared off table and watched it collapse into a flat board. She looked over at Topaz, who was carrying boxes back to the Temple.

"You don't have to keep wearing that stuff," she said as she picked up the table. Topaz still had the birthday cap draped around her shoulder. The crown was tilted on her head. She shrugged at Turquoise's notion.

"It makes me feel…" she mused, "important." The chit-chat of the Gems was cut off when Lion came running towards them. They turned to ice when they saw what he was carrying in his mouth. Lion dropped Peter in front of them. They rushed forward, dropping down in front of the over-aged boy.

"Peter!" Pearl cried out, "What's wrong with him?"

"He's okay," said Turquoise, her voice wavering as she lifted his head, "he's just really, really, really, really old." Tears began to form in Pearl's pools of green.

"Gems can't die from aging, but he's half human."

"Can't we fix him?"

"My birthday suit," said Peter, struggling to even breath, "might help." Topaz did not hesitate to take off the birthday suit. She draped the cape around Peter and crowned him.

"Good as new," said Turquoise. She sucked in air through her teeth. "Right...?"

"Thanks guys," said Peter, "but I guess this suit's all out of birthday magic. We had a good run, huh?" Peter's age increased. He became older and weaker. Topaz shot upwards.

"More birthdays!" she ordered. "Now!" She grabbed Turquoise and Pearl by the back of their clothes. The Gems did their best to recreate the birthday activities Peter had planned earlier.

"Check it out, B-Day Boy," said Turquoise. She transformed her body into a small car. Topaz began driving her. "I'm a tiny car!"

"Beep beep," added Topaz.

"Kids, stuff…" Peter struggled to say. His voice was weakening. His gem ages him further. Turquoise lost her concentration and snapped back to her original form. She shook her head and managed to keep it together long enough to shapeshift into a piñata.

"Ooh, piñata time!" she said. Peter's gem only aged him even further.

"It's not vorking," Topaz said. Her voice cracked on the last syllable.

"Pearl! Get over here!" shouted Turquoise.

"I can't!" Pearl shouted back.

"For Peter!" Turquoise picked up Pearl. The Gem was wearing the clown costume. She put her down in front of Peter and shoved a pie into her hands.

"Oh, look, I have what, um, what appears to be a delicious pie," said Pearl. The sad tone of her voice wasn't helping. "I sincerely hope nothing happens to-" Pearl lost it. She began full on crying. "Oh Peter!" Pearl dropped the pie on the sand. Tears streamed down her face and stained her glasses.

"Are you trying to kill him faster?!" said Turquoise. She looked like she was about to cry as well. Pearl ignored what Turquoise was saying. She ran over to the teal Gem and wrapped her arms tightly around her. Pearl buried her face on Turquoise's shoulder. "Pearl!" Turquoise tried to break free. Silent as ever, Topaz pushed them apart and walked over to Peter. She picked him up. Topaz began to violently shake him like a ragdoll.

"Topaz?!" shouted Pearl and Turquoise. They rushed over and tried to pulled Topaz away from Peter.

"Wait a minute, what are you doing?!" shouted Pearl.

"Topaz stop!" Turquoise added. Topaz finally dropped Peter onto the beach. Tears were flowing out from under her visor.

"I zhought…" she said as her voice wavered, "violence... vould be the answer."

Peter's hearing had gone, as well as his voice. Everything in his line of vision began to blur. As his eyes began to close, be saw Turquoise and Pearl were angrily yell at Topaz. His gem glowed. Peter found a small bit of strength that allowed him to stand.

"Would you guys, just please-" Peter said weakly. His voice strengthened as his Gem activated, turning him back into an adult, "-Control yourselves?!" The Gems stopped when they heard Peter speak. They stared at him. "Ugh, oh no." Peter turned into a teenager. "Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. But I can't stand to see you-" Peter aged into adult again. "-freaking out like this!" Pearl's eyes widened.

"Wha-?" she said.

"Peter, you're changing!" said Topaz. Pearl managed to find her voice.

"Your age is fluctuating," she said. "I think your gem is reacting to your state of mind."

"Peter!" said Turquoise, "Stop! Feeling! Old!" Peter turned into a teenager.

"But I wasted your time…" he said. His body became an old man again. "We all have such little ti-ime…"  
Peter!" cried the Gems.

"You have to feel like yourself!" said Pearl. Tears threatened to fall again. "Sweet and considerate and only occasionally obnoxious!" Peter shifted into a teenager.

"You really think I'm all those things?" he asked. The tone of his voice perked up.

"Yes!" answered Topaz.

"Why else would you throw us all those parties?" added Turquoise.

"Oh my gosh, you're right," said Peter with a smile. His gem glowed. Peter slowly shrank back into his twelve year old body. The perfect fit. "I am pretty great."

"Oh Peter!" said Pearl. She and Turquoise rushed forward and hugged him. "Peter!" Topaz joined in.

"Ve'll vork on zhe rest, later," she said. Peter looked down and pulled up the now oversized shirt. He still had full grown legs.

* * *

 **In the next episode, Peter and Mathia get to hang out with the cool kids in town, but their teenage shenanigans get them into magical trouble.**


	14. Mathias and the Cool Kids

**Episode 14: Mathias and the Cool Kids**

* * *

For once, a Gem mission didn't take the Crystal Gems halfway across the world. In fact, the mission took them to a cliff surrounded lake on the edge of Heta City. The Gems looked down from one of the cliffs and stared down at what had become of the lake. Moss and vines covered the surface. Peter was down by the lake, hopping across wooden logs. From above, Pearl shook her head at the sight of the lake.

"This doesn't look good at all," she said to the other Gems. Peter had jumped across enough of the logs to reach the moss. Pearl caught sight of this. "No, Peter! Don't go near that stuff!"

"No, Peter, wait-" called out Turquoise. She was cut off when a boulder whizzed by her ear. Topaz walked up to rejoin them as they watched the rock she threw hit the opposite end of the log Peter was on. The force catapulted Peter into Topaz's arms.

"Peter's here!" said Peter. Topaz let him slide down and onto his feet.

"You have to be careful, Peter!" said Pearl, pulling Peter away from the edge a little.

"Why?" Pearl pointed down at the lake. Peter followed the direction of her finger. He watched as a duck attempted to sit on a log. The moss consumed the log and the duck. Peter shuddered."What is that stuff?"

"It's zhe moss zhat Emerald planted on zhe hill when we first built our temple," Topaz explained.

"My mum planted this stuff?"

"Emerald used to climb that hill every spring and tend to the moss at the top," added Pearl. She used her gem to show Peter a fuzzy projection of the long-haired Emerald taking care of her moss. The projection wavered and cut off without a warning. "But now that Emerald... is gone," Pearl choked on her words before shaking her head, "the moss is on the move!"

"It's lost," Peter said with a disappointed frown.

"It's not lost," said Turquoise with a small look of disgust. "It's gross."

"Yes, but Emerald loved it anyway. She saw the beauty in everything, no matter how gross or strange," Pearl said. She brushed back her bangs. "Fortunately, I know just what to do in this situation."

The Gems made their way down to the entrance of the mossy lake. Pearl stood in front of the other Gems as they sat behind her. Pearl closed her eyes and remained still, like a dancer waiting for her performance. She smiled, opening her eyes. Pearl spun around, regaining her pose. The only difference was her hands were lining her the gem on her forehead.

"This is why I get up in the morning!" Peter whispered. He couldn't sit still. Peter loved watching the Gems use their powers. It fascinated him.

Pearl pulled the air in front of her gem, similar to what she did when summoning her spear. This time, a glowing, white blob caught her fingertip. It released itself from Pearl's gem and fell into her hands. The blob molded itself into a roll of police tape.

"Police tape?" Peter asked curiously. That's not exactly what he had been expecting.

"Isn't this great?" said Pearl. She tossed the tape to Peter. "This way, we don't even have to use magic. Humans will just see this and walk away." Topaz stood up, cracking the knuckles on her fingers.

"Don't hold back," she said. Turquoise jumped off the rock she was sharing with Peter, snatching the tape from him.

"I never... do!" said Turquoise. She threw the tape to Topaz.

On and on it went. The Gems threw the tape to one another, surrounding the entrance to the lake with it. When the roll had run out, Peter was out of breath. The Gems all gathered together as Pearl tied the tape together to seal it.

"Perfect!" she said in a singsong manner. "Now we can come up with a plan to move the moss back to its hill!"

"Who wants to get some lunch?" Peter said, brushing the dirt he had acquired from the task from his clothes. The Gems stared at him silently. "Just me, then? ... Nice."

* * *

Peter split off from the Gems when they returned to town. He had a major craving for the freshly cooked food from his favorite Boardwalk restaurant. He hummed to himself as he walked to the building. Peter stopped when he noticed a familiar head of spiky blonde hair and the body that connected with it leaning against the wall near the doorway.

"Hey, is that Mathias?" he said to himself before calling out to the person. "Mathias!"

Mathias Køhler turned to look at the boy heading towards him. He groaned, hitting his head on the wall behind him.

"Why now?" he said through his teeth.

"Got a high five for you-" Peter started to run towards Mathias with his arm raised high, "-from waaaay down town!"

"No, Peter!" Mathias said in a harsh whisper, when Peter was mere inches from him, "No high fives!"

"Mmmmm, okay." Instead of high-fiving his hand, Peter high-fived Mathias' chest. Mathias pulled the boy's hand away.

"Peter!" he missed. Peter just laughed.

"Sorry. I didn't recognize you without your uniform on," said Peter. "So... how come you're not at work anyway?"

"I don't spend my whole life there," Mathias answered. "I do... other things."

"Like standing against this wall?" Mathias' eyes narrowed.

"What does it look like?"

"Looks like you're doing a lot of nothing."

"That's the plan, Peter. Just playing it cool today, you know?" Peter inched towards Mathias and leaned up next to him.

"We are so much alike."

"Excuse me?" asked Mathias, raising his eyebrows.

"You want to get a fresh food right off the stove, but you don't want to seem too desperate, right?" Peter said, explaining what he had thought Mathias was doing, "Well, there's no need to be ashamed. Just walk right in and ask. That's what I always do." Peter reached for the door.

"Uh Peter, don't go in there right now!" Peter looked over at Mathias before peering in through the window. He saw three faces he had seen once or twice before around town.

The teenage boy off to the far right hand dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He had a wild long curl that rested to the right of his head.

The second boy was struggling to eat what was in front of him. He had shaggy light brown hair and wore a small pearl-like earring on his left ear. He had red eyes and a small fang on the left side of his mouth.

The final person was a teenage girl. Her long hair was brown, with a wild curly strand sticking out on the right side of her head. She wore pink flowers in her hair.

"Oh, hey!" said Peter. "Isn't that Lien's cousin and her friends?"

"Mei, Vladimir, and Lovino," Mathias said under his breath. Peter glanced over at Mathias.

"Oh, you know those guys?"

"N-not quite, but I'm sure we'll hang at some point."

"You should go in and talk to them," Peter suggested. Mathias turned red.

"T-T-That's not how these things work, Peter!" he said, "The plan is to keep it cool and let them come to me."

"Here they come." As if on cue, Mei, Vladimir, and Lovino left the restaurant. Lien was standing in the doorway.

"Peter, turn around! Act natural!" Mathias said as he looked away from the group of three.

"Tell him I'll be home by curfew," said the girl, Mei, to Lien as she went to join her friends. "You better be!" shouted Lien, "I'm not covering for you again!" The door slammed behind her as she went back to work. Peter glanced at Mei and her friends and then at Mathias.

"I don't think they saw you," said Peter.

"Peter, you were blocking me with your... big hair!" Mathias said rather harshly. Peter twisted his fingers around one of his blonde locks before getting an idea.

"Sorry, I'll go tell them to look over here." Peter walked away and towards the group of teenagers.

"Peter, no, don't go over there!" Peter walked towards them anyways, Mathias continued to look away. "I hate you!" Peter walked up on them having a conversation.

"-muffins that are this big."

"Those things are too sweet for me."

"Hi!" said Peter, interrupting the previous conversation with his cheesy grin. "My name's Peter."

"Lovino," said the boy with the curl.

"They call me Vladimir," replied the boy with the earring.

"I'm Mei," said the girl.

From over in his corner, Mathias was quietly having a small moment of panic.

"He's gonna wreck everything! What are they saying? I can't hear them!" he muttered to himself as he watched Peter talking to the one group he wanted to be friends with. "No-ho-ho! My life is horrible!"

"Hey, Mathias!" said Peter, turning around and waving to Mathias. Mathias instantly regained his cool.

"Yo."

"They invited us along for a ride." Mathias' jaw dropped.

"Huh? Wait a minute, they- you-? Peter you got lucky," said mathias as he walked to join Peter and the others. "So don't ruin this with any of your lame schtick."

"You got it!" The whole group walks towards Mei's car.

"Hop on in guys," said Mei as she slid into the driver's seat.

"Ah yeah, middle seat!" They all filed into car with Lovino, Peter, and Mathias in back, Vladimir in shotgun and Mei driving.

"Where'd you get that shirt Peter?" Lovino asked. Peter looked down at his shirt.

"My dad gave it to me," he answered. "I have no idea where he gets any of my clothes from, though."

"I like it." The last car door slammed and locked shut. Peter reached over for his seat belt.

"Sounds like it's time to buckle up!"

"Quit being lame, Peter," said Mathias as he leaned back into the seat.

"Hey, there's nothing lame about seat belt safety," said Vladimir, turning around to face the back.

"Car does not move 'till we're all buckled up," added Mei. She, Lovino and Vladimir were already wearing their seatbelts. Mathias was the only one left. He grumbled something unintelligible as he pulled the seatbelt over his chest. As soon as Mei heard the click, she started up the car. Mathias cleared his throat.

"Hey, this car is really cool, Mei," he said to the driver, hoping to spark some sort of conversation.

"It's just the delivery car for my cousin's lame shop. Makes me smell like fried rice," said Mei. Mathias slid further into his seat. "Where to?" Mei asked as she drove out of parking lot.

"I don't even know," replied Vladimir as he fiddled with the radio.

"Oh, can we stop by the convenience store?" asked Peter. Mei drove up to said place.

"That old place?" she asked.  
"Eh, no," said Lovino.

"But that's where Mathias works-" Mathias covered Peter's mouth with his hand.

"Quiet Peter," he whispered.

* * *

The group began driving through heart of town as Peter pulled Mathias' hand away from his face. The boy caught sight of Funland Arcade.

"Funland arcade is the best!" he said, "Let's do that."

"I beat all the games in there like three million times," said Vladimir.

"No way!"

"Yeah, me too," Mathias added, trying to sound cool.

"No way!"

"Honestly though," Vladimir said in a flat tone, "I'm just exaggerating to sound cool." Peter leaned over and patted Vladimir on the shoulder.

"I appreciate your honesty," said Peter before Mathias jerked him backwards and back into his seat. The group drove near city park, where the mayor was holding a campaign rally. Lovino didn't even bother looking.

"Hey Lovino, isn't that your grandfather?" asked Mei. Lovino glanced over at the scene of his grandfather kissing a baby to win the crowd's favor.

"He never treats me like that," Lovino said. He looked away from the scene as the car drove forward.

"That's rough, bro," said Mathias, trying to sound sympathetic.

"It's not rough, the lack of grandpa love in my life made me who I am." The group had drove the edge of town by now. Mei was grinning.

"Oh my gosh," she said to her friends, "We should check out Dead Man's Mouth."

"What's Dead Man's Mouth?" Peter asked.

"It's this lake where a guy died," explained Lovino, "or it looks like a mouth?I forget the specifics."

"Dead Man's Mouth. Here. We. Come," said Mei as she put the car into gear. They sped off.

"Sounds good to me," said Peter.

* * *

As they drove to Dead Man's Mouth, Peter slowly found the surrounding area more and more familiar.

"We're here," said Mei when she finally stopped the car. Peter, Mathias, and the others filed out of the car. Peter paled when he saw the entrance to Dead Man's Mouth. The entirety of it was blocked off with police tape. The same police tape that he and the Gems put on there.

Dead Man's Mouth was the lake the moss was taking over.

"Y-You know what?" stuttered Peter. He didn't want Mathias, Mei, Vladimir and Lovino going in the lake. The moss would take them over and kill them. Just like it did to that duck he saw earlier. "I know this place may seem cool, but it's actually a lot less cool than you think. W-Why don't we just have some more fun at the boardwalk?"

"Peter stop being lame," Mathia whispered to the boy before turning his attention to others. "Let's check this place out." Mathias walked towards entrance with the others accompanying him. Peter sighed when he saw he police tape. It would be able to stop them. They all stared at tape.

"Huh, police tape…" said Vladimir. Without hesitation, Vladimir ripped down the tape. He lead Mei and Lovino on through.

"I'm above the law," added Lovino as he knocked down more of the tape.  
"Who wants to go for a swim?" asked Mei. She already had her shirt over her head.

Peter followed on through the entrance. He stared down at the moss. The plant seemed angered by the presence of humans in its lake. His fingers clutched at his Gem.

Mathias began to take off his shirt. Vladimir took off his pants. Peter reached back and grabbed Mathias's wrist.

"Mathias, don't go in there," said Peter. "It's dangerous!"

"Peter, you trying to scare us?" asked Mei as she tied her hair back.

"Building atmosphere, I-" said Lovino. He was cut off midway when Vladimir pulled him back and into the water. Mei jumped in after them. Mathias tried to go in, but Peter was holding him back. Literally.

"Wait!" Peter shouted.

"Peter, let me go!" said Mathias as he pried Peter off of him.

"Don't!" Peter was starting to tear up. Mathias had finally had enough. He pushed Peter towards the lake. Peter wrapped his arms around Mathias's waist, standing his ground.

"Peter, what. Is. Your. Deal?" Mathias stopped struggling to break from Peter. He stared in horror as Mei, Vladimir and Lovino were engulfed by the moss in the lake. It pulled them under. Mathias backed away.

"Oh no!" said Peter in a panic. He let out a yell when the moss wrapped itself around his foot.

"What's going on?!" asked Mathias, trying to keep himself from freaking out.

"It's some kind of magic moss my mum planted!" Mathias froze.

"Wait, your mom-?" His words turned to a scream when the bodies of his friends reemerged from the water. Moss covered a majority of them, threatening to pull them back down. They struggled to reach the lake's edge and collapsed on its shore. The moss covers them entirely. "Hang on!" Mathias and Peter rushed forward and began rip away at the moss. It didn't work. The moss refused to move. Peter was about to give up hope when Pearl's words returned to his mind.

 _"Emerald used to climb that hill every spring and tend to the moss at the top…"_

Peter turned and stared at a hill in the distance. He turned back to Mathias.

"Mathias, I know what we have to do," he said.

"This is all your fault!" Mathias snapped, ignoring Peter. He had enough. He sighed. "I knew if something went wrong today it would be because of you! Now I'm never going to be friends with these guys. All because of your... weird mom!"

Peter stood still for a moment. Everything was quiet and still. Peter could hear his own heartbeat. Peter's eyes narrowed. Shock and rage were flowing through his blood. He stood up straight and his hands clenched up. Mathias took a small step back. He had never seen Peter angry and aggressive like this.

"What do you know about my mum?!" said Peter, poking Mathias's chest. The boy's rage and emotions bubbled up and exploded all at once. "I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO KNOW MY MUM! But I do know, she saw beauty in everything! Even in stuff like this-" Peter pointed at moss, "-and even in jerks like you!"

No one said anything. Peter's eyes were starting to well up. The boy simply wiped away anything from his eyes. Mathias looked away in shame. Peter sighed.

"Now help me get them to the car."

* * *

Peter and Mathias dragged the bodies of Mei, Vladimir and Lovino, still covered completely in moss, into the car and buckle them in.

"Mathias, hurry!" Peter ordered. "This moss belongs at the top of that hill." He pointed at tall hill. The pair climbed into the front seats. Mathias, being the only one with a legal license, didn't start the car. "Come on Mathias what are you waiting for?"

"Uh, Peter, I don't know how to drive a stick shift," said Mathias.

"I'll work the stick, you just keep us on the road." Mathias nodded.

"Okay, alright, let's do this. Ignition!" Mathias started up the car. Peter took control of the gear shift. The car jammed and drove forward near the lake.

"Peter, no, put it in reverse!"

"Is that the one with 'R' on it?" The car jolted backwards when Peter changed to gear, pulling back both him and Mathias. It took about a half of a minute before they were actually on the road.

"What's gonna happen when we get to the top of that hill?" Mathias asked, driving in the direction Peter was gesturing to earlier.

"I don't know!" Peter said.

"You don't know?!"

"That's just where the moss wants to be!" The moss began to engulf front of the car, including Peter and Mathias in the front seat. "It's getting everywhere!" The car jerked and turned sporadically until they bump into a large truck which straightened them out.

"We did it!"

"We're almost there," said Mathias as they approached the hill. He stopped the near the top of the hill. Peter and Mathias quickly got out. The took the three bodies in the back and began dragging them to the top.

"We got to get up there," said Peter, pointing to top of hill. "Hurry!"

Peter and Mathias pulled their moss covered friends close to top of hill. The moss latched onto them. It began rooting to the ground, slowing them down.

"I'm… getting stuck!" Mathias said with a grunt. He dropped to his knees, allowing the moss to force him to the ground

"No… don't… give up," said Peter. Just Mathias, the moss pushed him down and pinned him in place.

"Peter…" said Mathias as the moss crawled up his neck. He held an apologetic look in his eye.

"What?"

"This sucks!" The moss swallowed Mathias.

"Mathias-" The moss took over Peter before he could even finish his sentence.

All was calm. All was quiet as the sun began to set on the horizon. Light hit the mossy mass that once was Peter. A small glow radiated from within.

Suddenly, the moss burst. It turned into flower blossoms. The wind came a picked them up, removing any signs that the moss had taken over the five people that laid on the hill. The first thing they did was breathe in the fresh air. They all were shaking as the light hit their faces. After a while, Peter and Mathias got to their feet. They watched as the air fills with the soft green blossoms. Peter smiled.

"The moss was just trying to bloom," he said. Their attention was drawn away when they heard someone stirring from behind. Mei, Vladimir and Lovino were alive.

"Ugh, what happened?" said Mei.

"I think I died," said Vladimir.

"Guys, look!" The three got up and rushed towards the top of the hill. They were amazed at the sight of the blossoms wafting gently throughout the city below.

"You can see all of Heta City from up here," Vladimir said, breathless.

"It's beautiful," added Lovino.

"Yeah…" Mei said. She looked around. "How did we even get here?"

"Well, Peter thought of it t-" Mathias began to explain.

"Mathias drove us here," interrupted Peter. All three muttered in approval of Mathias's action. Mathias smiled a bit.

"I can totally just sit up here and watch this," said Vladimir before flopping onto the ground.

Peter held up a hand to Mathias, hoping to earn a high-five from him. Mathias didn't high-five him. He wrapped his arms around the boy. The two stared out at the blossoms.

"Peter?" said Mathias. Peter hummed in curiosity. "I didn't know her, but I'm sure your mom would be proud of you." Peter's smile grew wider.

"Thanks."

* * *

 **In the next episode, a toy trade between Peter and Aurel escalates into epic proportions.**


	15. Aurel Trade

**Episode 15: Aurel Trade**

* * *

The sun was shining on this hot day. Turquoise was on the porch of the house, soaking up the sun's rays. Her hair was fanned out around her as she laid spread-eagle on the hardwood. Turquoise didn't have a care in the world.

That was until she heard Peter calling for her from inside the house. She lazily peeled one eye open.

"Outside, dude!" she shouted before closing her eye again. The scraping of the door against the porch alerted her to Peter's presence.

"Have you seen Ranger Guy?" Peter asked. Turquoise opened her eyes, looking back at him.

"Ex... cuse me?"

"Ranger Guy, one of my G.U.Y.S. You know, G.U.Y.S.?" Turquoise opened her eyes and tilted her head back. She stared blankly at him. "G.U.Y.S.: Guys, Under, Your, Supervision! There's Ninja Guy, Construction Guy, Cop Guy, Eye Guy, Invisible Guy, Jagged Guy, Cat Guy, Apple Guy, and my main man, Ranger Guy, the best of all the guys, has gone missing. Have you seen him?" Turquoise opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off before she could even get a word out.

"What's that I hear?" said Pearl. She was leaning against the doorway."You can't find one of your little men in that super junky room of yours?"

"It's not that bad," said Peter. Pearl raised an eyebrow before opening a window. A seagull wearing a banana peel on its head and carrying a slice of pizza escaped out of it.

"How'd that get in there?" said Peter nervously.

"You left your window wide open for things to just fly in and out."

"Aw, give him a break, P," said Turquoise. She sat up. "My room's messy, but I always find what I'm looking for."

"Then, why haven't you found my battle axe?" Pearl asked, crossing her arms.

"I haven't looked for it yet."

"Turquoise, go and find it right this second."

"Hey, feel free to go look for it yourself," said Turquoise. She got to her feet.

"There's no way I'm going into that pigsty!" Pearl said with a cringe-worthy look. Peter walked away from his two Gem guardians. Turquoise sighed.

"Pearl, all your nagging has made Peter upset."

"Is everything okay, Peter?" Pearl asked the boy as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah…" said Peter without stopping. "I'm fine, just got to break the bad news to my dad."

* * *

Peter walked to his father's clinic. When he walked inside, he found it to be empty. Peter wandered around the property, looking for his father.

"Dad... Dad…" Peter called out. Without warning, a cold jet stream from a hose struck Peter in the back. "I'm so sorry!" Peter turned when he heard laughing from behind. It was his father, holding the hose that had sprayed the boy.

"Yeah, you're sorry, sorry you walked through that door without a hose in your hand! Ready for battle!" said Tino before he sprayed his son again. Peter blocked it with his hands.

"Wait!" he shouted. Tino turned off the water.

"You look sad and wet," said Tino. "What happened to your life?"

"I... lost something... something precious." Tino's eyes went wide.

"Your innocence?!"

"I lost Ranger Guy." Tino stared blankly at Peter. "One of my G.U.Y.S.? From our special day at the beach last summer? You bought him for me at the end of the day. He was one of a kind. He had a discolored hat, how could you not remember?"

"Oh, was this the same day we ate that amazing funnel cake?"

"Uh... yes?"

"Yeah, that funnel cake. Ha, I even kept the plate. Come on!" Tino motioned Peter to follow him. They walked towards Tino's van, Peter's father opened it and climbed inside, searching of the action figure. Balloons flew out when Tino opened it.

"Cool balloons," said Peter as he watched the balloons fly away. Tino began rummaging through the van.

"Ah, let's see here," Tino muttered to himself. "Got some cans, napkins, oh, a yo-yo! A book about yo-yo tricks, a sandwich I've been meaning to catch up on." Peter pucked up a marble that had rolled in front of him. He flung a marble at Tino's butt. "Ow, my butt!" Peter laughed. Tino looked back towards Peter. "... Wait. What's your story again?"

"I lost my special Ranger Guy, and I'm quite upset over it," Peter explained once again.

"Huh, well, here's a bag full of quarters," said Tino, pushing a bag to Peter. "Now you can get all the G.U.Y.S. you want."

"Thank you!" whispered Peter, his stars appearing in his eyes.

"What'd you say?"

"Thank you!" Peter said louder before running off.

* * *

Peter walked to the arcade, his mood much happier than it had been before. He made his way to the line of vending machines in the arcade. He stood in front of the G.U.Y.S. machine, to be specific.

"We'll be reunited soon, Ranger Guy," said Peter with a smile. "Here we go." He slid a quarter in. The machine whirled and blinked as it picks at random. "And-"

"Dave Guy!" said the machine. It dispensed the figure in plastic capsule into Peter's hand. Peter frowned.

"What?!"

"Lucky!"

"Not lucky! He's, like, the worst G.U.Y.!" Peter sighed. "Maybe he comes with something cool." He opened capsule and grabbed the toy prop inside. He only got more disappointed. "Taxes? Come on, Dave Guy, is this all you have to offer? A bunch of paperwork?" Silence. "Answer me! Thank goodness I have all these quarters." Peter groaned. He puts another quarter in the machine. Again, it gave Peter Dave Guy. Peter tried again. Quarter after quarter, Peter tried to get his beloved toy. Each time he failed and only got Dave Guy from the machine

"This machine is out of G.U.Y.S," said the machine after about the thirtieth quarter. "Please try again another time."

"It's over," Peter groaned before leaning against the machine. He slid down and onto the floor.

His attention was pulled away from his current situation when the snack machine beside him shook. Out popped the tiny Aurel pops out with a snack in his hands.

"Huh? Oh, Aurel. What are you doing?" Peter asked the boy. Aurel ignored him and walked away. Peter caught sight of a toy in his coat's pocket. "He's got a Ranger Guy?! Aurel! Wait up! let's trade!" Peter packed up all his Dave Guy toys in the quarter bag. He ran to try and to catch up to Aurel.

* * *

Peter followed Aurel to one of the shops in town. He peered in at him through the window as the small boy talked with the salesman. Eventually, the salesman gave Aurel a bag. Aurel exited, and Peter noticed the bag was a lunch bag. Peter continued to follow Aurel to the docks.

He watched Aurel as he sits on the pier with the bagged lunch. Aurel took out hamburger.

"Oh, man. Hey good lookin'..." Peter said, looking at the food. Avoiding breakfast had not been his best idea that day. Aurel took apart food and threw it into the water. Peter gasped. "What the heck is he doing?! He's not even hungry?!"

A boat suddenly pulled into the Pier. A dark-haired man in a yellow raincoat jumped out. Aurel held up his arms. The man picked him up. They looked rather happy together. Peter recognized the emotion show between them.

"Hey, is that…" he muttered to himself, Aurel's dad?" Peter couldn't hear Aurel and his father communicate with each other. After a while, the man jumped back into his boat and sails off, waving to his son. "Huh? He's leaving so soon?" Aurel was still looking at his dad leaving. "Does Aurel just... sit around and wait for his dad all day?" Peter's thoughts were pulled away when he saw Ranger Guy in Aurel's coat. "Ranger Guy! Okay, let's do this." Peter approached Aurel on the dock.

"Hey, Aurel, how are ya?" said Peter to get Aurel to notice him. Aurel looked over at Peter and just shrugged. "That's good, that's good. I couldn't help but notice that you're a G.U.Y.S. fan." Aurel stared blankly. "You know, G.U.Y.S.?" Aurel still stared blankly at Peter. "The little man in your pocket?" Aurel pulled out the toy. "Yeah, Ranger Guy! How would you like to trade that boring old Ranger Guy for a brand spankin' new, mint in box, Dave Guy?" Peter pulled out a Dave Guy from bag "Pretty nice, right?" Aurel shook his head, motions for more. "Oh, I see where this is going. You're getting quite the deal here, with two Dave Guys!" Aurel shook his head and motioned for more. "What? You want more? Like, two more? Five more? Ten more? Twenty more? This whole bag? All thirty of these Dave Guys for just one Ranger Guy." Aurel shook his head to all of these, motioned for more again. "But there aren't anymore. The machine is empty; I bought them all." Aurel walked away from Peter "Where are you going? Hey! Let's work something out!" Aurel was already gone. And so were Peter's hopes of getting Ranger Guy.

* * *

Peter returned to home with a tone of sadness about him. Turquoise was out in the sun yet again, basking on the porch where she had been earlier.

"Ugh, stupid Dave Guy," Peter growled to himself in frustration. "Got no future, your hair cut's gross, you smell bad." Turquoise laughed before rolling onto her stomach and looking at Peter.

"You talking about Pearl?" she asked.

"No, I'm talking about dumb ol Dave Guy. I mean just look at him." Peter pulled out a Dave Guy from his bag. "Does it look like his life is going anywhere?"

"Aw, cut him a break. Maybe this is the year he gets his life together. Maybe he'll get a cool internship."

"I doubt it." Peter groaned and leaned against the door. "I can't even trade thirty Dave Guys with Aurel to get one Ranger Guy."

"So you need more of that little man to get some other little man?" asked Turquoise. Peter nodded.

"Yeah, and the machine's sold out of them." Turquoise sat up on her knees. She dug into her bra, and from it she produced a handheld wand.

"What is that?" Peter asked her.

"Pearl's Replicator Wand. You can use it to make copies of stuff," Turquoise explained, "You're magic, I'm sure you can figure out how to use it." She tossed it to Peter.

"Have you been sitting here all day with this in your clothes?"

"Nah, I got up to look for Pearl's dumb axe but found that instead. Then I replicated a bunch of garbage and stuffed it all in Pearl's Room." She snickered. "Go have fun." Peter nodded before rushing off back to the Boardwalk.

* * *

After a few minutes of trial and error, Peter sent off to find Aurel. It didn't take long for him to find his target on the Boardwalk. The boy had an absent look about him, as if he were avoiding something he did.

"Hey, Aurel!" called out Peter. Aurel looked towards him. With the Replicator Wand in hand, Peter scanned Dave Guy with it. He shot wand so a Dave Guy appeared at Aurel's feet. "That makes thirty-one." Aurel shook his head and approached Peter. "You want more?" Peter shot wand. "Thirty-one? Thirty-two? Thirty-three? Thirty-four? Thirty-five? Thirty-six? Thirty-seven? Thirty-eight? Thirty-nine? Forty?!"

Each time Peter fired the wand, Aurel just continued to approach without showing any signs yielding. "Enough! What is it that you want?!" Aurel pointed to the Wand. He pulled out Ranger Guy from his coat pocket.

"You mean, you want this, for Ranger Guy?" Aurel nodded. Peter's hands began to nervously shake. In the end, he handed over the wand.

* * *

Peter should have been happy with his trade. He really should have been. He sat on the beach, playing with Ranger Guy.

"We are on the scene with Ranger Guy on Beach Patrol," said Peter to himself. He switched his voice, pretending to be Ranger Guy. "'Things are looking just great out here, Peter.' Yup, everything is great... Great…" Peter fell backwards onto the sand. "Were you always this boring, Ranger Guy?" He switched his voice. '"I used to be a doctor.' Maybe you're just more fun around other—" Peter was cut off when a Dave Guy suddenly fell on him. Peter sat up. "G.U.Y.S.? Dave Guy? I thought I saw the last of—" Another Dave Guy fell on him, followed by a steady stream of Dave Guys falling. "Hey, what's the big i—" Peter turned around. His eyes widened when a massive wave of Dave Guys came flooding towards him. "—dea... ?" There was only one person who could have done this.

"Aurel... !"

* * *

Peter ran back to the Boardwalk. There were the Gems. Above them all was Aurel. He stood atop a massive mountain of Dave Guys. It was higher than any of the buildings and was as wide as the entire Boardwalk. Aurel was shooting Dave Guys straight up into the air with the wand.

"This is ridiculous," said Pearl. "How did he get my Replicator?" Turquoise noticeably inched away from Pearl.

"Zhat child should not be in possession of such an item," said Topaz after a Dave Guy hit her visor.

"Aren't these Peter's little men?" Turquoise asked. She picked one of the Dave Guys up just before getting hit in the head with one. The Dave Guys were well above Peter's head. He had to basically swim through them just to reach the Gems. When he caught sight of Pearl's anger, he tried to inch away just as Turquoise had. Unfortunately Pearl caught him by the back of his shirt. Peter tugged on his short to try and free himself. For once, Pearl was stronger.

"Can you please explain this mess?" Pearl asked.

"I traded that Replicator for Ranger Guy…" Peter said after a failed attempt to escape. Pearl let him go.

"Peter, why didn't you just replicate Ranger Guy?"

"... Dang it!"

"Let's go before zhis gets any vorse," said Topaz. She and Pearl began climbing their way up to the top of the toy mountain. Turquoise made one step to follow them, but ending up sinking waist deep into the G.U.Y.S.

"How do you move in this stuff?" she said as she attempted to shuffle through the toys.

"Try and act like a rich duck," Peter suggested before diving under the pile.

"What does that mean?" Tino popped up from the pile with a nice bruise forming on the side of his cheek. "Hi, Tino."

"What the heck is going on out here?" Tino asked the Gem. Turquoise shrugged.

"Eh, you know, just doing our thing."

Meanwhile, Topaz and Pearl were still trying to climb the massive pile of G.U.Y.S. capsules in order to reach Aurel.

"Hand it over!" said Topaz to the boy. She could barely keep her footing. "It doesn't belong to you." Aurel turned the wand on Topaz and shot a steady stream of capsules at her. In a flash, Topaz summoned one of her gauntlets to block it. Pearl gave out a shout as one of them struck her forehead, narrowly missing her gem. "Zhis is not a game." Aurel stopped and scanned something else with the Replicator Wand.

"What did he shoot?" Pearl asked. Suddenly, Aurel replicated a car above them.

"Go under!" Topaz pushed Pearl under the pile and caught the car with her gauntlets, but Aurel buried her under a pile of and Turquoise waded through Dave Guys as they tried to reach the top.

"Well, at least it stopped raining toys…" Tino said, relieved. A car fell from above, only about a foot away from him and Turquoise.  
"Ah, rich duck!" exclaimed Turquoise before she pushed Tino under pile and followed after, seconds before car falls on top of where they just had been.

Underneath the pile of toys, Peter snuck his way up to the top from the other side. He emerged at the top, pulling Aurel under. The boys emerged seconds later, rolling down the pile. Peter made a grab for the Replicator Wand. His fingers grasped it and pulled it away from Aurel. Peter and Aurel landed at. The bottom with a thud.

"Aurel, please stop! Let's trade back," said Peter. Aurel tried to get the wand back, but Peter's height allowed him an advantage for once. "Take Ranger Guy, he's the best. He even has a discolored ha—" Peter held out the toy, turning it over. He froze when he saw his own initials drawn on the bottom. "This is my Ranger Guy! You traded me my own Guy! Our trade didn't count!" Peter took the wand and chucked it. It clattered against the Boardwalk, remaining in one piece. "That didn't work."  
Pearl popped up from the pile. She crawled out of it and fell near Peter.

"I'm never letting Turquoise borrow anything again," she said. Pearl stood up and went to get her wand. Topaz got ahold of it first. She crushed the Wand in her hands before releasing her gauntlets. "Topaz!"

"I'm not cleaning up zhis mess," said Topaz as the piles of replicates begin to disappear. Peter looked over at Aurel. The child seemed a little upset. Peter sighed and scooted over next to him.

"I think I understand why you took my Ranger Guy, Aurel," said Peter. Aurel looked up at him. "I bet you get pretty lonely waiting for your dad all day." Aurel nodded. "You were probably really bored too." Aurel nodded again. "And 'cause you missed your dad, you took my Ranger Guy, which is symbolic of the relationship I have with my dad." Aurel shook his head. "No, just the first thing?" Aurel nodded. "Well, here." Peter handed over Ranger Guy to Aurel. "You need him more than I do." Aurel smiled at him before running off. Someone put their hand on Peter's shoulder. He looked up to see Topaz.

"Let's go," she said simply. The Gems walked away as Peter stood up.

"So, all the stuff that got copied turned into nothing?" asked Turquoise.

"Yes," said Pearl. "Why?"

"Dang it… No reason." Peter watched the Gems. Tino approached Peter.

"That was a good thing you did back there," said Tino. Peter grinned.

"Thanks, Dad," he said. The two began walking down the Boardwalk together.

"But you went through all that trouble for a toy?"

"It was more about the memories than the toy. Now we have new memories— horrible, horrible memories." Tino put an arm around his son.

"Let's go make better ones, then."

* * *

 **In the next episode, Pearl attempts to teach Peter the art of sword-fighting using a holographic version of herself, but everything goes horribly wrong when she gets gravely injured due to Peter's ignorance.**


	16. Peter the Sword Fighter

_**Warning: This episode contains graphic violence. Reader desecration is advised.**_

* * *

 **Episode 16: Peter the Sword Fighter**

* * *

Rain threatened to pour down upon Heta City and of all its residents. It was days like this that Peter could convince the Gems to stay home and watch a movie with him.

Peter gathered the Crystal Gems with him in his loft of a bedroom. They sat on the floor, eating popcorn while watching Peter's chosen film, Lonely Blade IV. On screen, two characters confronted each other.

" _It was you. You were the one who killed my brother. Cursing me to fight alone forever!_ "

"Oh Lonely Blade, you so lonely," commented Peter. Unlike the Gems, he was laying at the end of his bed.

" _You think you can defeat me? The President of the Shadow Samurai Government?!_ "

"What?!" said Peter at the movie's plot twist. "The janitor is the evil samurai president?! That's crazy!"

"Oh come on, it was so obvious," said Pearl with a roll of her eyes. "He's been mopping in the background of every fight scene. Look, here he is on the cover of the box." Pearl picked the box up off the floor and showed it to Peter. She was right.

"Oh yeah."

" _For my honor and for my brother! I will strike you down! Boomerang Blade!"_

" _Piercing Shadows of a Thousand... Screams_!"

"Go, Lonely, go! Do the Boomerang Blade again!" said Peter, rooting for the film's protagonist. Pearl didn't seem amused.

"Oh come on, this is ridiculous," she said, "Just look at their form, this is nothing like real sword fighting." Topaz quickly shushed her. Unlike Pearl, she and Turquoise were enjoying the movie.

"It's just a movie, Pearl," Peter said before stuffing his mouth with popcorn.

"Well, if you ever want to see a demonstration of proper sword techniques, I'd be happy to show you." Peter put his hand on Pearl's head. Pearl looked over at him. There were stars in his eyes. One of the signs of Peter's excitement. Which only meant one thing. "You want me to show you now?"

* * *

As soon as the movie finished, Pearl led the Gems and Peter to the warp pad. In a flash, they arrive at a large open area. The titled ground was cracked. Ruins of what had once been marble columns lined the area, and on one side were the kind of stands seen in a baseball stadium. Low hanging clouds lined the edges, and more light was allowed on the arena.

Pearl withdrew two swords from a nearby wall while Peter and Topaz sat in the stands. Turquoise was sitting atop a floating cloud.

"Alright, in order to give a proper demonstration I'm going to need a sparring partner," said Pearl as she walked in front of them. Peter began to raise his hand but Topaz immediately lowered it. "Luckily, I have the perfect candidate right here." Pearl's gem created a hologram version of the original. Pearl cut the stream from her gem and the hologram. Unlike all of her other holograms, this one remained when the stream was cut.

"Cool," said Peter, "Hologram Pearl!"

"Ah, geez," Turquoise groaned. Pearl tossed one of the swords she held to her hologram. Hologram Pearl gained sentience and caught it.

"Do you wish to engage in combat?" asked the Hologram in a robotic version of Pearl's voice.

"Let this be the perfect battle," said Pearl.

"You've already made a mistake by challenging me!" The hologram took a fighting stance. Pearl laughed.

"We shall let our swords decide."

"Nerd!" shouted Turquoise, only to be shushed immediately by both Peter and Topaz.

"Commencing duel," said the Hologram Pearl. Its eyes reddened as it lunged towards Pearl. Pearl blocked several of the hologram's attacks without any sign of an imperfection. "Defense rank: S. Zero openings detected."

"Go, Pearl, go!" chanted Peter from the stands.

"Go Holo Pearl!" said Turquoise. Distracted by Turquoise's mocking, the hologram managed to disarm Pearl, knocking her sword feet away.

"Opening detected!" said the hologram before turning to attack. Pearl took a step back and ran at her hologram. At the last second, Pearl slid underneath the hologram and reached her sword. She grabbed it. She whipped around as the hologram attacked her. Pearl pushed back her hologram and held her sword to its neck. "Match set. Challenger wins."

"Woohoo! Yay, Pearl!" said Peter. He jumped down from his seat and ran over to Pearl.

"Do you wish to battle again?"

"Pearl!" said Peter, balancing on the balls of his heels, "That was amazing, you were so cool!" Pearl smiled a bit, her cream colored cheeks turning a pale tealish color.

"Oh, well, one does try their best," she said with a small laugh.

"Will you teach me to sword fight like you?!" asked Peter as he began to mimic Pearl's swordfighting. Pearl laughed. She nodded.

"Alright, but we should start with the basics." Pearl turned to her hologram and cleared her throat. "Initiate, training mode."

"Training mode initiated," said the hologram. It got into its battle position. "Level 1, begin!"

"I want you to stand back Peter, and watch me carefully, okay?" Pearl instructed. Pearl readied her sword and nudged Peter back behind her and away from the swords themselves. The Hologram Pearl began a basic attack sequence.

"Parry, parry! Thrust! Parry, parry! Thrust!" it repeated.

"Do you see what I'm doing with my feet, Peter? Notice where I keep my center of gravity." Peter's expression fell. This wasn't what he expected Pearl to teach him.

"Can you show me something cool?" Peter asked. "Like the Boomerang Blade!" Pearl groaned.

"Peter, you know that's not a real technique," she said, not once taking her eyes off the hologram.

"Boomerang Blade, Boomerang Blade, Boomerang Blade!" Peter chanted. Pearl's eyes narrowed as she turned away from her hologram and to Peter.

"Peter, these are real sword techniques," said Pearl, annoyed beyond belief. "Not those silly things from your movies. It's about waiting carefully for the perfect moment to stri-" In the middle of her lecture, Pearl's hologram found the perfect moment to strike down its opponent. Pearl cried out on a mix of shock and pain.

It stabbed Pearl through the stomach. Peter gasped, his eyes large and wide. A dark teal stain began to appear on the front of Pearl's top. Liquid in the same color began to dribble down the corners of her mouth.

"Pearl!" shouted Turquoise.

"Oh no," said Topaz. Pearl dropped her sword. The resulting clang sounded throughout the arena. Her eyes began to cloud over.

"... Pearl?" asked Peter. His voice was low and quiet as it began to waver. Pearl glanced down at the sword lodged through her. She forced a smile for Peter.

"W-whoopsie-daisy!" she said, her words growing weak at a rapid pace. "Peter, it's okay. I-I'm going… to be just f… in…" Pearl's sentence was cut off as her once vibrant grass colored eyes became dull. Her body didn't slide off the sword like Peter expected it to. Pearl's body turned into a cloud of dust. Her gemstone fell from the place that had once been Pearl's forehead. Peter dove forward, not caring about the consequences and caught the gem before it had the chance to hit the ground.

He sat up, looking down at the gem cradled in his shaking hands.

"P-Pearl?" he stuttered. His vision began to blur. "Pearl…"

"Challenger defeated," said the hologram. "Level 1 failed." Peter bent over Pearl's gem, holding it tightly to his chest. Tears violently ran down his cheeks as he began to cry.

Pearl was dead. And it was his fault.

"Peter!" shouted Turquoise and Topaz. The other two Crystal Gems sprang from their places and ran over to Peter. Topaz knelt down beside him.

"I-I was just... a-and she was trying to…" Peter said, trying to form a coherent sentence through his sobbing. "I-I didn't mean to… I didn't mean to get her killed!" Topaz slid a hand on Peter's back.

"Peter, it's okay," said Topaz, running her hand in circles to help calm Peter down. "Pearl's gonna be just fine." Peter looked up at Topaz.

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes, if our bodies are badly damaged, ve release our physical forms and retreat to our gems to regenerate." Topaz wIped away the tears from Peter's eyes with her thumbs. "We can only die if our gems are shattered. Are there any cracks on Pearl's gem?" Peter turned Pearl's gem over in his hands.

"N-No…" he said after studying the smooth surface. "So she's gonna be okay?" Topaz nodded. Turquoise crouched down to Peter's level.

"Don't worry, kiddo," she said as she put a hand on his shoulder, "These kinds of things just happen sometimes. Usually to me."

"Alvays to you," responded Topaz.

"Hey, I'm scrappy," Turquoise said to Topaz. "Whaddya want?"

"Zhe last time you regenerated vas because you fell off the roof." Peter laughed as his mood began to lighten. Pearl was going to be fine. Everything was okay.

"So, how long will it take her to regenerate?" Peter asked Topaz and Turquoise. Five minutes? Ten minutes?" Topaz and Turquoise looked at each other with a minor frown on their faces.

* * *

It didn't take five minutes for Pearl to come back. She wasn't back after ten minutes either. After about three days of no Pearl, Peter took the responsibility of taking care of Pearl's gem instead if leaving it- and essentially her- in her room. He took it into his own and didn't dare leave it alone. Two weeks went by in the blink of an eye, and Pearl hadn't still regenerated after her stabbing.

Peter sat in the living room. He placed Pearl's gem into a small basket. He slid the basket under a lit up, hoping to warm it up. It worked for eggs. Pearl's gem was shaped a bit like one. When nothing happened, Peter sighed.

"What's taking so long?" he muttered. His attention was drawn away from Pearls gem when the warp pad behind him activated. Topaz and Turquoise warped in. Turquoise was riding atop the floating cloud from the arena.

"What up?" said Turquoise as she sat on her cloud. Peter looked back over to Pearl's still gem.

"Hey." Turquoise floated her cloud over to Peter. She stared down at Pearl's gem.

"She's still not done? Man, she's really taking her time with this one," she said before looking around the room. "Gotta tell you though, love what you've done with the place."

In his constant state of waiting, Peter had neglected to clean his part of the temple. There was trash strewn about everywhere. Peter's belongings were thrown carelessly to the ground. Dishes were piled haphazardly to the ceiling in the kitchen. Topaz seemed to rushed outside the Temple when she saw the mess.

"Pearl usually helps me tidy up," Peter explained.

"Eh, I say leave it," said Turquoise with a small shrug. "Give Pearl something to do when she gets back." Peter jumped up, starling Turquoise.

"Hey! If real Pearl can't be here, there's always the next best thing!" he said as he ran over to something under a sheet in the corner. He pulled it off to reveal the hologram Pearl. "Do you wish to engage in combat?" asked the hologram as soon as it was introduced to the light. Turquoise cringed.

"Peter," she said before sighing, "cover that thing back up. Why is it even still here?"

"It's like Pearl. Look at it."

"Yeah... That ain't Pearl."

"Well, maybe I can get it to act like her."

* * *

Turquoise left, not wanting to take part in whatever Peter was planning. Peter took the hologram Pearl up to his loft space. It was just as messy as the rest of the house.

"Here we have a mess. Organizing messes is one of Pearl's favorite hobbies," Peter explained to the hologram. "Here." He bent down and picked up his toys "Pearl likes to organize them by type. Animal, humanoid, miscellaneous... now you try." Peter held out one to the hologram. Its eyes reddened as it switched from its passive mode to an aggressive state.

"You have drawn your sword in vain!" said the hologram.

"What?" Hologram Pearl lunged at Peter. He had forgotten about the sword it still held. He ducked, and tossed the toy into the air. The sword cleanly pierced it.

"Challenger defeated," said the hologram as it switched back to its passive setting.

"Maybe we need to try something else."

* * *

Outside the Temple, Turquoise had her cloud trapped in her hands. Since Pearl wasn't around at the moment, she and Topaz decided to have a bit of fun until then. Peter and the hologram Pearl exited the house and walked towards them.

"I'm gonna do it," said Turquoise. She held the cloud near her mouth.

"Do it," said Topaz with a bit of excitement. Turquoise swallowed the cloud. A second later, she inflated and began to float upwards. Topaz grabbed her ankle before she could float away. Peter laughed as he and the hologram got closer to them.

"Pearl always likes to tease Turquoise when she does funny stuff like this," he told the hologram. He didn't consider the hologram dangerous at the moment. He took the sword from it and replaced it with an umbrella

"I won't go easy on you this time!" said the hologram.

"That's the spirit." He and the Hologram Pearl walked over to others* "What are you guys doing over here?"

"Draw your weapons challenger!" The Hologram Pearl pointed umbrella as if it were its sword. The umbrella popped open.

"Ugh, Peter, why are you still hanging out with that thing?" Turquoise asked, sending invisible daggers at the hologram. "It's freaky." She burped out a piece of cloud. Peter's expression did a one-eighty.

"I just really miss spending time with Pearl," he said, kicking at the wet sand.

"Pearl vill come back to us in time, Peter. Have patience," said Topaz. "And stop hanging out vith zhat zhing. Turquoise is right. It's creepy." Topaz crossed arms, releasing Turquoise from her grip. She watched as the Gem floated away.

* * *

Peter had left after Topaz began to say several things he knew he shouldn't have heard. Instead, he took the hologram Pearl around the town and down to the Boardwalk. After spending most of the day down there, Peter came up with a stuffed walrus. The hologram had a sword made from a balloon. Before they could head home, there was once last place Peter wanted to go. Pearl's favorite hill and her flowering tree.

"You had fun at the boardwalk, right?" Peter asked the hologram as they walked up the hill.

"Parry!" the Hologram Pearl responded. Peter sighed.

"Oh come on, you gotta work with me here." He ran up to the top of the hill, placing a hand firmly on the tree planted there. "This is Pearl's favorite tree. Don't you recognize it? What's on your mind? Come on, don't hold back." Peter forgot his wording. The Hologram Pearl switched to its more aggressive and combative mode.

"Challenge accepted!"

"What?" Peter ducked as the Hologram Pearl swung at him. She missed, but sliced the tree cleanly in half. "Oh no, the tree!"

"Challenger defeated." The hologram switched to a passive setting. Peter's face grew red.

"The real Pearl would never do that!" he yelled at the hologram. "Get away from me!" Peter ran down the hill and didn't stop for a good mile.

* * *

By the time Peter returned home, the sky had finally opened up and began releasing her fury upon the town. Rain pounded the roof. Lightning struck the rocks around the cliff. Peter wasn't upset about any of this. What he was upset about was the fact Pearl, fresh from regenerating, wasn't there to greet him. Her gem remained in its basket.

Peter took the gem from its basket and nestled it in between a small pile of blankets. Rainy days were moive days, and since Topaz hadn't yet returned from getting Turquoise back, Pearl's gem was the next best thing.

"It's too bad you're not back, Pearl. Because I've just found a copy, of the fifth Lonely Blade movie!" said Peter as he showed the movie cover to the gem. He sighed at the lack of reaction the gem showed. "How long are you gonna make me wait, Pearl?" Peter perked up when a sharp beep sounded from the kitchen. "Oh, the popcorn's done, stay right there."

Peter left his makeshift bedroom and headed to the kitchen. He opened the microwave's door and pulled out the popcorn bag. The second he turned around, he was greeted with Pearl's hologram. It had managed to get its sword back. Peter jumped and dropped the bag.

"Do you wish to test your skills against me in a duel?" asked the hologram. Peter shook his head.

"No! No sword fighting!" he said. Peter attempted to walk up to his bedroom, but the Hologram Pearl followed behind him.

"Draw your sword and fulfill your destiny!"

"No. Leave real Pearl and me alone!" Peter licked up a discarded sheet that had been tossed on the couch. He threw it over tosses sheet over Holo Pearl. "Go back under your sheet."

Peter walked back up to his bed, sitting down in front of it as the movie started.

" _Brother, is that you?"_

 _"Yes. It's me. Your, brother…"_

"Woah, this is really good," said Peter about halfway into the film, "What do you think, Pearl?"

"Parry!" Peter jumped at the voice. He turned to see the Hologram Pearl, still under its sheet, standing behind him. Peter growled in his throat before he leaned back against his bed and continuedto watch the movie.

" _Brother!"_  
 _"Wait a minute... you're not my real brother! Grr, Boomerang Blade!"_

As Peter continued to watch, his subconscious began to play it's own movie in his mind on repeat.

* * *

" _It's about waiting for the perfect moment to str-"_

 _The sticky teal dripping on the tiles. Pearl's lifeless eyes. Her body turning into dust…_

* * *

Peter shut his eyes as tight as they could go. He didn't want to think about it. A loud crack made his eyes open. The hologram had broken the TV's screen.

"Why must you destroy things I love?" said Peter.

"Challenger defeated," said the hologram, ignoring Peter. "Continue?" Peter stood up, clenching his hands into balls.

"I hate you, I hate you! You're nothing like Pearl!" he shouted at the hologram. "Pearl is smart, and she protects me from danger. All you want to do is fight me!"

"Challenge accepted!"

"Grr, alright fine!" Peter had enough of this thing. He pushed the Hologram Pearl back.

"Basic attack mode, initiated: Parry, parry, thrust! Parry, parry, thrust!"

"Stop saying that!" Peter picked up toys off of the floor. He threw them at the hologram. Only one of them hit it.

"Basic attack mode defeated." Peter relaxed. Maybe now the Hologram would go away. "Now initiating, advanced mode." He had spoken too soon. The hologram's eyes turned red. It attacked Peter. The boy ducked under the sword and ran down the steps, the hologram following. He held up a pillow to protect himself, only to have the hologram slice it clean in half.

Peter searched through the trash on the floor for another item. He came up with a boomerang. He threw it. It flew round Hologram Pearl and returned to his hand.

Peter yelped as the hologram Pearl attacked him again. He ran into the kitchen. Peter seized a mop in the corner to defend himself. He had one weapon that would work much better. He still had trouble controlling his mother's shield. It wouldn't work.

Bit by bit, the Hologram Pearl started to cut whatever part of the mop Peter was using against it. Eventually, it backed him into a corner.

"Pearl! I should have just ... waited for you to come back. I should've waited for-" he said as the Hologram Pearl raised its sword above its head, leaving its torso wide open. Peter gasped. "The perfect moment! Boomerang Blade!" Peter launched the mop at the hologram. It struck the hologram right in the chest.

"Challenger wins," said Hologram Pearl. "Do you wish to duel again?"

"No!" Peter yelled. He took the mop from within the hologram and began to wipe away its remaining remnants. He was caught like a deer in headlights when the front door opened. Topaz and a still inflated Turquoise entered from outside. Topaz was holding Turquoise like a balloon.

"Peter, ve heard fighting," said Topaz.

"Are you alright?" asked Turquoise, bobbing against the ceiling. "What's going on?"

"Oh, just doing my chores," Peter said with a nervous laugh. The hologram began to regenerate."Die!" He hit the final remnant with the mop, disappointing the hologram permanently. "You know, I might miss Pearl a whole lot, but, sometimes, you just have to accept things for how they are before you-" Peter was cut off when a glow from his bedroom drew his attention. It was coming from Pearl's gem.

Pearl's gem flew up, and hovers in the air above the living room. From it emerged a glowing form of light. The form began shifting between many different shapes before making its final choice. The form snapped into solidity. Pearl dropped to the ground on her knees, regenerated with a new look.

Her hair was still tied up in their pigtails, and her glasses remained the same color. The only thing that really changed was her clothes. Pearl changed into a sleeveless, forest-green tunic-leotard with the same, small gold star on the center of her chest. A lighter green sash was tied around her upper waist. Her leggings were brown. Pearl wore beige-colored socks with pale green slip-on ballet flats. The hair ties holding her pigtails were replaced with light green ribbons.

Peter was beaming as he watched Pearl stumbled to her feet.

"Never mind, Pearl's back!" he said, racing out from behind the kitchen.

"Ah, that's much better," said Pearl, adjusting her glasses. She let out a small noise of surprise when Peter almost tackled her in a tight hug. "Someone missed me."

"I had this whole thing planned out for when you came back!" Peter pulled away and ran back into the kitchen. Pearl looked around the room.

"Peter, what happened to your room?" she asked. She looked up at Turquoise and Topaz. She stared at the inflated Turquoise. "I don't even want to know what happened to you."

"I got hit by an airplane!" said TurquoisePeter returned, with his shirt tied around his head, using a pot and wooden spoon as a drum.

"Pearl's back, Pearl's back, Pearl's back!" he began chanting whilst hitting pot with a wooden spoon.

"Peter, what are you doing?" Pearl asked as Peter continued to chant. Turquoise burped more of the cloud out. Pearl sighed. "I can't leave you guys alone for a second."

"It vasn't a second," said Topaz.

"Really?" Pearl said. "Felt like it. How long have I been-?"

"Two veeks."

" _Two weeks_?!" Peter jumped up.

"Pearl's back!"

* * *

 _ **In the next episode, Peter and Wendy try to ride Lion to the movie theater, but Lion has other plans.**_


	17. Lion 2: The Movie

**Episode 17: Lion 2: The Movie**

* * *

" _Some people say…_ " The city erupted into flames down below- " _you can't teach…_ " -people were fighting in helicopters against evil robots- " _an old dog…_ " a robotic dog looked up from the chaos, " _new tricks…_ " the helicopters were blown up, " _unless you're..._ " a girl looked at the robot dog and the dog looks back and sprouted propellers, " _Dogcopter 3, in 3D!_ " The dog flew towards the robot and shot a missile from its butt that destroyed the robot. " _This Friday, the fur hits the fan_."

* * *

Wendy Kirkland turned off her phone screen. She had been showing Peter the movie she had invited him to go see with her.

"I can see why this is your favorite film franchise," said Peter, swinging his legs off of his seat at the kitchen counter.

"That's right!" said Wendy, "In a world where humanity is pushed to the brink, it turns out that the one who is most human, is a dog! - copter."

"And did you see where that missile came out of?";Wendy chuckled

"Yeah. I just hope it stays faithful to the book."

Before their conversation could continue, the warp pad behind the pair activated. Wendy stared at the blue light stream. Peter leaned past her. "Whoa."

"The Gems are back," he said. In the next instant, the blue stream disappeared, leaving the Crystal Gems standing in its place. They were covered in dust.

"What's up?" said Topaz in a greeting. She began shaking the dust from her hair, creating a cloud in the room. Pearl waved it away.

"Hello, Wendy!" she said as soon as she spied the girl, "What a surprise to see you!"

"We're gonna watch a movie about a wacky, flying dog!" Peter said before Wendy could respond to Pearl. "Show 'em Wendy!"

"I mean, it's about, much more than that," said Wendy. She pulled out her phone and replayed the trailer, holding the screen out to the Gems.

"Oh-ho-ho, that's easy!" said Turquoise once the trailer finished. She smirked as she shapeshifted into Dogcopter and flew upwards. Wendy watched her with an awestruck look. "Who needs to go see movies when you've got, magic!" Turquoise shapeshifted her head into a boombox and played upbeat tempo music, Topaz nods her head to the beat, as Pearl looks annoyed at Turquoise's showing off. She groaned.

"Aw, stop showin' off, Turquoise," Peter said. "Wendy promises that this movie's even better than any magic."

"I did not say that," Wendy said quickly.

"And check this out!" Peter jumped down from his seat, pulling up his backpack from off of the ground. He opened it to show the Gems the food inside. "We got our own snacks."

"My parents say I'm not allowed to buy snacks at the theater, So, we're not buying anything at the theater." Turquoise shapeshifted her head back to normal. She flew past Wendy, Topaz, and Pearl.

"Nom Noms!" she said happily. "Feed me!" Before Turquoise could dive bomb into the backpack, Peter snapped it shut and moved out of her reach.

"Hands off, Turquoise!" he said, "These are for me and Wendy to share at the movie!" Wendy took a glance down at her phone. She switched it off and slid it into Peter's backpack.

"Speaking of which, how are we getting to the theater?" she asked. "It's kinda far." Peter zipped his backpack shut and slid it on.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered. Today, we're gonna travel in style!"

* * *

Peter took Wendy outside of his house. They stood on the porch, gazing down at their transportation below.

"Introducing the finest in luxury transportation... Lion!" said Peter. Lion simply yawned before laying down. "Aw, you little goofball." Peter jogged down the steps, dragging Wendy with him. He walked over to Lion and pressed his face into his mane. Wendy stared at Lion warily.

"You have a pet lion?!" she said, her voice peaking a bit. Peter lifted his face out of Lion's mane.

"Lion is sorta like a pet," he explained. He does his own thing most of the time, though." Lion began chomping on something in between his paws. Sparkling feathers fell out of his mouth. They caught sight of a half-eaten creature by Lion's paws. "See? Who knows where he got that?"

"Wow, Peter. Everything in your life is so awesome and magical. The most exciting thing in my life is tennis practice." said Wendy. She picked up a piece of driftwood, and began to swing. "Forehand! Backhand! Overhand death strike!"

"Whoa! Tennis is awesome!" Peter said as Wendy tossed the driftwood back into the ocean.

"I made up that last one." Lion snarled, making Wendy jump back a bit. Peter scratched him behind his ear.

"I think Lion says we should hurry up and go. Or maybe he was just yawning." There was a second of silence. "Anyways, let's go to the movie!"

Peter climbed up on the back of Lion, holding a hand out as Wendy tried to get on. She took it, allowing him to help her up.

"And we're off!" said Peter. Lion stood up and remained still, not moving with an expectant-looking Peter and Wendy. "Uhh... Lion, I want you to take us to the movie." Peter waited a few seconds, but Lion was still not moving. "Okay, you're not listening to me." Peter looked at Wendy and chuckled nervously. "Lion isn't trained very well. But I'm not trained very well either, so we're a—"

Lion's eyes widen and he suddenly roared, rearing up on his hind legs and charging forward. After getting over the sudden surprise, Peter and Wendy started to laugh.  
Lion started running forward, then changed direction and started to run towards the ocean.

"Wait, Lion! Don't go in the ocean!" Peter said. The pair waited for the splash of salt water as Lion leapt towards the ocean. He landed on the ocean, standing upright as if he were still on land. Both Peter and Wendy looked down at the water.

"You can walk on water?" Peter asked Lion. Wendy gazed down at the water. "Why don't you tell me you can do these things you can d-" Lion started running again. "-ooooo?!"

Both Peter and Wendy were amazed and happy at this development. They watched the seagulls fly past. When a boat passed by, Peter gave them a wave. The shadow of

two whales reflected underneath them.  
"Uh... are you sure he knows where he's going?" Wendy asked Peter. Peter looked back at her.

"Maybe it's... a short cut?" he guessed.

Lion jumped up. His eyes began to glow white, and he roared. The sound waves created opened a spiralling portal. And Lion was running right towards it. Peter and Wendy prepared for the worst. They screamed as Lion jumped through the portal. It sealed shut behind them.

* * *

Blue and white streaked past Wendy and Peter. Peter felt his grip on Lion's mane tighten as Wendy wrapped her arm on him to maintain her balance.

"Has he ever done this?" she asked.

"No," Peter answered. "This is new!"

* * *

After about a minute or two, another portal opened, spitting out Lion, Peter and Wendy. Just as they left it, the portal sealed shut. Peter relaxed his grip. Lion had taken him and Wendy to a water-logged cave. The only dry place was a platform rising out of the water in the cave's center.  
Lion sat down, letting Peter and Wendy slide off of his back and into the shallow water. Peter sighed, raking his fingers through his hair before shaking it in hopes of drying it off. Wendy pushed her wet hair out of her face before wringing her hands around her ponytail.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked her. To his surprise, Wendy seemed ecstatic.

"That was really cool," she said. Lion roared quietly, causing both Peter and Wendy to look in his direction. Lion turned around and begins walking to the center of the platform. Peter got up and began following. He climbed the stairs up to the platform. Wendy scrambled after him.

"Lion! Wait!" said Peter. "Where are you going?!" Wendy looked around as she came to Peter's side.

"Is this one of those magic Gem places that you've told me about?" she said. Peter offered a simple shrug as they walked to the center of the platform. As soon as Peter stepped in the center, it began to glow white. The glow instantly became a beam, shooting up a few feet.

"Yep. Magic gem place." A hand shaped structure rose from the beam as it faded. Peter and Wendy ran over to the hand structure.

"Lion, normally I'm all about this stuff, but this is not the movies," said Peter. Lion laid down next to the structure. The only response Peter got was a soft roar. "What does that mean, Lion? What does that even mean?"

"What if he brought you here for a reason?" Wendy suggested. She put her hand on the structure, running her fingers along it.

"Well, maybe, but if we don't hurry, we're gonna miss the commercials," Peter said, counting off his fingers as Wendy began to look at his hand, "and then we might miss the previews, and we still have to find the perfect seats," Wendy picked up his hand a placed it on the structure. "near the front but not too close." The structure began to glow, making Peter and Wendy both gasp. The platform began to glow white.

"I think it likes you!" said Wendy. Peter pulled on his hand, trying to take it off the pedestal. He began to do it harder when he realized one thing.

"My hand's stuck!" said Peter frantically. "It won't come off!" Wendy wrapped her hands around Peter's arm.

"Hang on!" she said. With their combined strength, Peter and Wendy began to pull. No matter how hard they tugged, Peter's hand remained firmly in place. "That's really stuck on good. I guess we'll have to chop it off."

"What?!" Suddenly, a white case rose out of the platform. It opened to reveal many different kinds of swords.

"Hey, swords!" Wendy said, sounding excited. An image from a few days before popped into Peter's head.

"No!" he quickly shouted. A green circle appeared above the swords, pushing them back down into the platform and out of sight. Wendy looked at Peter, where the swords had been, and back to Peter again. She was only more excited.

"How'd you do that?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Do it again! Do it again!" Wendy shook Peter a little.

"Um, okay." Peter began flexing his arm in hopes of trying to make something happen on the platform. Nothing happened. "Anything?"

"No." Wendy said after looking around. "Here." She jabbed Peter sharply on the shoulder with one finger. Peter flinched and moved away from Wendy as best he could.

"Ow! What are you—" said Peter before Wendy grabbed his ear and pulled him towards her. "Hey!" Wendy let go. Peter turned to face her. "What are you doing?" Wendy ignored him.

"Maybe if I do... this!" She poked Peter sharply in the side. Peter held back a laugh.

"Wait, I'm ticklish." Wendy started poked Peter in the side and on the back repeatedly. He couldn't take it and started laughing. "Wait. Stop. Stop". He tried to bat Wendy's hand away. "I'm gonna pee!" Without a warning, suits of armor rose out of the ground and formed a circle around the platform. Each suit of armor has a green square floating above it. Wendy looked around at the armor in amazement

"Look at all this!" she said.

"Press my nose! Press my nose!" Wendy pushed a finger against Peter's nose. The green squares pushed the suits of armor back into the platform. Three cannons rose out of the platform.

"Are those light cannons?" Peter asked, mostly to himself. Wendy grabbed the corners of Peter's mouth and gently tugged on them.

"Next!" A bunch of axes rose out of the platform. A statue of a woman with her arms outstretched and three spiked chain balls hanging on each arm rose out of the platform next. Finally, a giant penny rose out of the platform.

"A giant… penny?"

"Does that means it's worth more than a regular penny?" Wendy asked. Peter just have a wide smile.

"Well, that would make 'cents'." Wendy snickered.

"This is so great, but…" Wendy gave the cave a look around once more. Her excitement faltered. "I get the feeling I'm not really supposed to be here."

"I want you here!" said Peter. He caught his tongue at the last second. "I mean, I don't want you here. I guess Lion wants us here. But I want us to be at the movies! And I want to see lots of explosions." Wendy relaxed a bit. Peter felt the grip the pedestal had on his hand relax. Peter pulled his hand away.

The structure and platform stopped glowing as soon as Peter's hand left its position. Both Peter and Wendy gasped as the hand structure sunk back into the platform. A whirring noise is heard as a wide, glowing white circle appeared on the platform. A tiki-like robot rose out of it. The robot turned to face the children. Peter and Wendy both gasped again as raised triangles began to break out all over the platform's smooth surface. Peter and Wendy lined up back-to-back, unsure about what to do.

"Should we be worried about this?" Wendy asked. Peter didn't have an answer. He looked over at Lion, who just yawned.

"Lion doesn't seem to be worried," Peter said. "So neither should we!"

The raised triangles began to glow white. The robot started to glow yellow in its various openings. A crackling sound echoed throughout the cave.. The robot formed a ball of electricity and fired it at Peter and Wendy.

"Run!" shouted Peter. He and Wendy dashed in opposite directions. The electricity ball exploded behind where they were just standing. The robot turned its lower half and started glowing blue. Peter glanced back. "Wendy!"

"Peter! Look out!" Peter turned his field of vision towards the front. He came to a screeching halt when he saw the robot was in front of him. He gave out a shout before narrowly dodging a beam of ice that was shot at him. He took refuge behind a triangle to catch his breath. He snuck a quick peek out from his hiding place. The robot going towards Wendy.

"Peter!" shouted Wendy, "What do we do?!" The robot had begun to glow orange.

"Wendy!" Despite being afraid, Peter ran out from behind his hiding place. Unfortunately, he failed to notice the patch of ice in front of him. He slid on it, crashing face-first into the ground.

The robot started to shoot fire at Wendy. She sucked behind another triangle. She jumped out of the way as another fireball came at her. Wendy slammed down harder than she expected, sliding a few feet across the platform. Peter scrambled to his feet and ran over to her. Wendy unsteadily got to her feet by the time he reached her.

The robot appeared in front of Peter and Wendy, preparing to release another fire ball. Peter locked his hand around hers as their eyes shut tight. Peter held out his opposite hand. To his luck, his powers worked for him. A green bubble formed around him and Wendy. However, the moment the fireball struck the bubble, the bubble exploded. The force sent Peter and Wendy up a few feet and ungraciously dropped them down on the platform. A ring of fire encircled the platform. They were trapped.

"My bubble," Peter groaned. His grunts of pain turned into a gasp when he saw that Lion was awake. "Lion! Get us out of here! Lion, please!" Lion walked over to them. He lied down on his stomach. Peter quickly took Wendy by the hand and helped her up onto Lion.

Whirring and clicking noises rang out as the robot aimed another fireball at the trio. Peter had just climbed on when Lion jumped off of the platform and into the water, bounding around the platform and roaring another portal. He jumped through it.

* * *

Peter refused to open his eyes until they were on the other side of the portal. As soon as Lion landed, he went skidding across asphalt. Peter opened his eyes. Lion had taken them to the movie theater, as he was supposed to.

"What?" Peter said in frustration. "Now you take us to the movies?" Lion closed his eyes and sat down, causing Peter and Wendy to fall off of his back and onto the sidewalk. Both of them groaned as they sat up. Wendy's fingers grazed a reddened, inflamed part of her cheek. She winced.

"Wendy, here. I have something for that," said Peter. He took off his backpack and opened it. He pulled out one of the cans of soda they brought with them and handed it to her. "Sorry they're not that cold." Wendy accepted it. She pressed the soda to her burnt cheek. She grimaced, but pushed through her pain with a weak smile.

"Thanks." Peter glanced up at the theater behind them.

"Well, we're here. Shall we go in?" He gave Wendy a smile. Wendy broke their eye contact, staring down at the ground.

"That's okay. L-let's just forget about it."

"I-I'm sorry!" Peter reached out for her hand, but retracted it at the last second. He stared down at the road. "I ruined everything, didn't I?" Peter dug his fingers into his hair. "I don't know why you hang out with me. I mess stuff up all the time." Wendy looked up at Peter, her eyes widened with surprise.

"I don't know why you hang out with me!" she said, "I'm so much more... less interesting than you! And obviously you have some sort of magical destiny." Her voice became softer. "Why would you even care about something like Dogcopter?"

"Why?! Because it's Dogcopter! He's a dog and a helicopter and a cop! He shoots missiles out of his butt, and he's gonna save the world!" With everything that had happened, Peter was still excited about the movie. There were even stars in his eyes. "Dogcopter is very cool and important... to me."

"I'm no Dogcopter." Peter opened his mouth to say something, but the car in front of them exploded the moment an unseen object struck it. Peter and Wendy shot up, backing away from the car wreck.

"What the -" Lion snarled at the burning car. Peter and Wendy ducked behind him. Their vision fell on the portal Lion had opened for them to get there. It never closed. Now the robot was trying to force its way out of the portal, still glowing a bright yellow.

"It's the robot shooty thing!" exclaimed Peter. The robot began to glow in all different colors. "How are we supposed to beat it?" He turned to Lion. "Lion, what do we do?" Lion turned around, facing the children. His eyes and the center of his mane began to glow white. He leaned down until his head was near the ground. Something was sticking out of his head.

Peter and Wendy exchanged a look. Peter grabbed the object and slowly pulled it out

"Uh... this is weird, right?" Peter asked Wendy, unsurely. He fully pulled it up and holds it above his head. It was a sword. While it may have been colored green, the entire thing from its blade to its handle was emitted a faint white glow.

"You have a sword in your head?!" exclaimed Peter, "Why don't you tell me you can do these things you do?!" The robot finally pushed through the portal.

"It came through!" said Wendy. The robot rotated quickly and started rapidly firing balls of many different elements. They smashed into various places.

The robot continued to fire at things, causing a sign from the movie theater to fall right in behind Peter, Wendy, and Lion. Peter held out the sword in front of him.

"What do I do with this?!" he said.

"Watch out!" shouted Wendy as another ball came at them. She grabbed the hilt of the sword and guided Peter to do a tennis move, deflecting an incoming electricity ball that shot back inside of the robot.

Peter and Wendy exchanged happy looks. They found a way to combat the robot. It began to fire again.

"Forehand!" said Wendy as she guided Peter to swing the sword left to right, deflecting another ball. "Backhand!" Wendy guided Peter to swing the sword right to left, deflecting yet another ball.

"Overhead... death strike!" Wendy and Peter said in unison. They brought their sword up and then swung it down, causing the fire ball that was launched at them to start flying in the opposite direction and into the robot. The impact caused the robot to explode with a whirring and clanging sound. The kids stood still for a moment.

"Just like tennis practice," Wendy said in awe.

"Magical destiny practice," added Peter, equally awestruck.

* * *

In the end, Peter, Wendy and Lion made it to the movie on time. Peter even got the seats he wanted. He thoroughly enjoyed his first trip to the movie theater.

* * *

 **In the next episode, a battle damages the Boardwalk, the Gems are banned from one of its restaurants, so Peter throws a cookout on the beachside to mend the relationship between the family who owns it and the Gems.**


	18. Beach Party

**Episode 18: Beach Party**

* * *

The beaches of Heta City were not what they were expected to be that day. Strong gusts of winds kicked up the sand, creating clouds of it. This wasn't a natural phenomenon. This was the effect of the Gems fighting a pufferfish monster on the beach.

The pufferfish blew constant streams of powerful air. It was even enough to knock over Turquoise and Peter.

"Are you okay, Peter?" said Pearl. Peter coughed the sand out of his mouth before standing up.

"I've seen better days," he said. Turquoise shook her head to get the sand out of her hair. There was a bluish mark forming on her arm.

"Pearl," she said as innocent as a child, "I got a boo-boo."

"Oh, walk it off!" said Pearl.

"Here it comes!" shouted Topaz. The pufferfish was moving out of the ocean where it had stationed itself. "Distract it!" Topaz summoned her gauntlets before launching herself into the air.

"Let's show this thing what we're made of!"

"What do you think we've been doing for the past hour?" said Turquoise. Pearl ignored her remark. She threw her spear at the pufferfish but the pufferfish blows it back to them.

"Duck!" yelled Pearl. She and Peter dropped out of the spear's way. Turquoise wasn't so lucky. The spear nicked a bit of her hair. "Peter's turn!" said Peter. He threw a boogie board at the monster. It got stuck to the one of the pufferfish spikes. "It's got spikes."

"It's okay," said Turquoise as she put her arm around him and rested it on his shoulder. "Here comes Topaz!" Topaz dropped down over the pufferfish.

"Smash the puff!" Topaz tried to smash it, but the pufferfish blew even stronger. She then went flying through the sky and crashed on a building on the boardwalk. Peter looked over to boardwalk. "Aw, man! We blew it!"

"Ugh, whatever!" Turquoise ran up to the pufferfish, shapeshifts into a baseball bat, and smacks the fish far into the ocean.

"Turquoise!" said Pearl, turning red. "Smacking it really far away doesn't solve anything! We needed to destroy it. Now it's just gonna come back later." Turquoise shapeshifted back into her normal form.

"Yeah, so we'll deal with it later." Pearl groaned. Peter tugged on her wrist.  
"Let's get Topaz," he said, hoping it would delay Pearl's and Turquoise's argument. "She landed by the boardwalk."

* * *

The rest of the Gems walked to the boardwalk. Topaz was calmly lying on the wrecked sign of the Golden Dragon while Lien and Yao Wang looked up at her.  
"Would you answer me?! You've wrecked my sign, and now you're just sitting up there!" yelled the man, trying to get Topaz to respond. "Are we engaged in a secret staring contest?!" The other Gems arrived.

"Topaz!" called out Peter. "Are you okay?" Topaz hopped down.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she answered.

"Hello, Peter," said Lien, spotting the boy. He waved to her. The Gems looked at the sign.

"This place is wrecked!" Turquoise laughed. "Gimme one down low!" She put her hand up for high-five, but Pearl shoved her hand down.

"No accolades for you, Turquoise!" she said before turning to Topaz. "She knocked the pufferfish back out into the ocean!"

"You're such a narc!"

"Let's regroup back at zhe temple," ordered Topaz. The Gems jumped into the sky.

"Where are you going? What about my sign?" the man yelled. The Gems were already gone. "Peter! What is wrong with your friends? One of them busted up my sign, then they all just jump into the sky like some circus act, without even offering to help!"

"But, Mr. Wang-!" said Peter before he was cut off. Mei came out of the shop.

"Ya-ao, pipe down!" she pined.

"Did I interrupt your beauty sleep?" Mei yawned.

"I don't need sleep to look pretty."

"Listen here, young lady-!" Yong Soo came out of the shop holding a dead fish.

"Yao, you are going to wake this fish from the dead with all the noise you're keeping. Oh, too late," said the boy. He began to act like the dead fish in his hands. "Yao, you so loud! Aaaahh! Bleeeeeh." He stuck out his tongue, making Mei laugh.

"Yong Soo, you're so funny," she said.

"Yong Soo! Quit joking around!" said Yao as Yong Soo came to the front of the shop. "Look what they did to the sign!" The boy looked up at the sign.

"Cheese on bread," were the only words that came out of his mouth.

"Can you believe it?" Yao turned to Peter. "You're such a nice boy, Peter. Why do you hang out with those animals?"

"They're not animals!" Peter retaliated, "They're the Crystal Gems, and they protect humanity—"

"I've heard enough!" Yong Soo glanced from side to side, nervously.

"Hey, girls, I think I hear all of our cell phones ringing," he said, nudging Lien and sending a look Mei's way.

"Yong Soo, your hearing is so good!" said Mei, playing along. The three walked into the shop.

"Peter, you can tell your friends that they are officially banned from my restaurant!" said Yao.

"Wait, what?!" said Peter. Yao walked into the shop, allowing the door to slam behind him. "Yao, that's not fair!" Yao flipped the store's sign to "closed". "This was just an accident!" It was no use. Peter sighed before walking back to the Temple in despair.

* * *

Back at the Temple, the Gems were trying to figure out what to do about the escaped pufferfish. They gathered around the kitchen counter.

"Why don't we just, like, let it roam free?" Turquoise suggested, kicking her feet as she sat up on the counter.

"Zhat's not an option," said Topaz. The front door creaked open. Peter shuffled in and up to the Gems.

"Hey, Peter!" said Turquoise.

"I've got bad news, everyone," said Peter. "You've all been banned from the Golden Dragon." The Gems exchanged a look with one another.

"The what?" Turquoise asked.

"The restaurant on the Boardwalk!" Peter said, "The one Topaz crashed into today!"

"Ohhhh," said Pearl. She glanced over at her teammates. "That's okay."

"That food wasn't even that good," added Turquoise.

"Aren't you guys upset about this?" asked Peter.

"Not really," said Topaz with a shake of her head.

"But these are our neighbors!"

"Zhere's nozhing ve can do about zhat now."

"Right now we have to figure out a way to take care of that pufferfish," added Pearl with a noddrd.

"What's the point of saving people if they're just gonna ban you from their shops?" asked Peter, leaning up against the counter.

"Ve don't do it for gratitude," said Topaz.

"Yeah, see! That's so nice of you, and the Wangs don't even know! If they got to spend some time with you they'd see how fun, and smart, and mysterious you are!" Topaz smirked.

"Hah, mysterious," she said with a small amount of amusement. Peter hummed something before straightening up. An idea popped into his head.

"I know!" he said, "I'll throw a little party on the beach in front of the Temple! Just us and the Wangs."

"I don't know, Peter," said Turquoise. "I mean…"

"Don't worry! I'lltake care of everything!"

* * *

Later that week, Peter pulled out an old grill from his dad's storage shed. He took it back to the beach and began cooking hot dogs and hamburgers on a barbecue grill.

"This is gonna be so good," he said, sniffing the food and giggling. To say he was excited was an understatement. Peter pulled himself away from the food long enough to see the Gems walking down from the Temple.

"Hey, Peter," said Turquoise.

"Hey!" replied Peter.

"Got everything ready for your little party?" Pearl asked as she eyed the grill behind Peter. He nodded.

"Yeah, and there's one more thing." Peter went back over to his little set up, picking something up off the table. He headed back over to the Gem, handing them a magazine. Topaz took it.

"What's this for?" asked Turquoise. She and Pearl looked over Topaz's shoulder as she began to flip through the magazine she was given.

"I was thinking you guys could change your outfits," said Peter.

"What's wrong with what we have on now?" Pearl said. She looked down at her leggings and tunic. "I thought this was fine. I spent two weeks on it." Peter shook his head.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong with it. I just thought it would be nice to go kinda casual."

"Is this the right address?" said a voice in the distance. Peter looked past the Gems to see the Wang family walking onto their part of the beach.

"I've never seen this side of the beach before," Peter heard Mei say.

"They're here! Hurry up and change," said Peter. He jogged over to the Wangs, smilings and waving. "Over here everyone! Hi!"

"Hey, Peter!" said Mei and Lien when they git closer.

"Hello," added Yong Soo.

"How are you all doing today?" Peter asked.

"The shop is closed today, because it's being repaired," said Yao. He seemed like he was still upset over the sign being broken. His family looked around nervously.

"Oh, uh, that sounds, uh…" Peter tensed up.

"Hey! Do I smell hot dogs?" cut in Yong Soo. "Show me where the hot dogs are." Peter relaxed, silently thanking Yong Soo for an excuse.

"Oh, right this way, everyone." Peter said, as they walked toward the Gems. "First, let me introduce—"

"Ve are zhe Crystal Gems!" said Topaz, cutting off Peter mid-sentence. "Topaz!"

"Turquoise!"

"Pearl!" As they introduced themselves, the Gems shifted into more appropriate beachwear.

"And Peter!" said Peter, jumping in at the end, "But you already knew my name…"

"You're all so talented," said Yong Soo once they were finished.

"So, you are a circus act," said Yao.

"Circus act?" repeated Pearl.

"Hey, let's eat!" Peter said nervously.

* * *

Peter gathered up the cooked food and set up a picnic at a abke for his family and the Wangs. As soon as food was put down in front of her, Turquoise picked up a burger. She took a large bite.

"Everything came out great!" said Lien.

"Thanks, Lien," said Peter.

"Aren't you girls hungry?" Yong Soo asked, staring at Pearl's and Topaz's empty plates, "You've barely touched your food."

"Ve don't need to eat," said Topaz.

"Oh, you women and your experimental diets." Lien and Mei shot looks over at Yong Soo, who shrunk back in his seat. Ayo glanced up at the Temple.

"So, you all live in that tiny house up on that hill?" asked Yao.

"Ve inhabit the inner sanctums," said Topaz, waving her hand to add a bit of flare to her explanation, "only accessible zhrough magical extra dimensional doors."

"What is wrong with your hand?" Topaz's hand clenched up tightly. Her opposite hand covered it, pushing it down and out of sight.

"Why does this place look like it's falling apart?" asked Mei, also taking a look at the Temple.

"Well, the temple has been here for thousands of years—" Pearl began to explain.

"I see how it is, when something breaks around here, you just leave it alone," Yao cut in. "Just like my sign!" Peter glanced around nervously.

"Um... who wants to play volleyball?" he suggested.

* * *

Peter found a stick and used it to draw a line in the sand for the volleyball court. He even set up a net.

"Okay, everyone, the court is all set," he said once he was finished. "Now to get into our teams."

"But, Peter, won't our abilities give us an unfair advantage?" asked Pearl.

"That's why I'm picking the teams," the boy said with a grin. "Turquoise and Mei! Pearl and Lien! Topaz and Yao! And last, but not least, yours truly and Yong Soo!"

"I haven't played in a while but I bet I could whoop all your butts," said Yong Soo with a mischievous look.

"That's the spirit. You guys ready? Let's play!"

The first match was set up as Pearl and Lien against Turquoise and Mei.

"Hope you're ready to lose, Pearl," said Turquoise. She held the ball in her hands and started to toss it from one hand to the other.

"There is no way I'd lose to someone like you!" Pearl said.

"Here we come!" Turquoise threw the ball up and served it. It soared over the net. Lien dove down, smacking the ball back up.

"Nice one, Lien!" Turquoise and Mei went to strike the ball back over. They slid in the sand in their attempt. The ball landed into the sand between them.

"Turquoise!" shouted Peter. "No kicking!"

"What kind of game is this?" Turquoise muttered as she got up.

"Nicely done, Lien!" said Pearl. She and Lien high fived. Lien laughed.

"Try and stick to the rules, Turquoise!" added Peter.

"Try harder, Mei!" said Yong Soo. Turquoise threw the ball over on the other side. Lien caught it and prepared to serve.

"Here it comes!" she said. She served the ball. As it started to go over the net, Mei pulled on the net, making it wobble enough so that the ball hit it. "Mei!"

"What?" said Mei. "I'm not doing anything." Lien tried the serve again.

"My move!" said Turquoise. She shapeshifted into a tennis racket, using this form to slam the ball across the net.

"Yes!"

"That was uncalled for, Turquoise!" said Pearl.

"You afraid of getting a little sand in your hair, Lien?" asked Mei.

"No, just trying to keep myself clean," said Lien, brushing off sand from her clothes. "Unlike some people."

"There's nothing wrong with trying to keep tidy," added Pearl.

The next match was Turquoise and Mei against Yao and Topaz. Topaz served the ball.

"I got this one," said Mei, preparing to hit it.

"Mei!" said Yao. "You touch that ball, you're grounded!"

"Whoa!" Mei took a sudden step back. The ball plopped into the sand in front of her. "Yao, you're cheating!"

"The look on your face!" Yao said as he began laughing. Topaz smirked.

"Zhis is going to be easy," said Topaz.

"It'd be nice if they stuck to the basics," Yong Soo muttered.

"Take this, Topaz!" said Turquoise. She hit the ball high up in the air. Topaz jumped into the air and hit the ball hard. The ball is coming full speed at Turquoise and Mei.

"We should probably move, huh?" said Mei.

"Yeah... we should. "Both Turquoise and Mei move away.

"You're all running like wild chickens!" said Yao. Turquoise took the glass heated by the ball and threw it into the ocean, grunting.

"Let's play!" she said.

* * *

The game continued on, team against team. Each had their own method of playing. The game soon erupted into an argument as everyone began accusing the other of cheating because of it. Peter and Yong Soo stood on the sidelines.

"This is getting out of hand," said Yong Soo. Peter sighed.

"I'll run and get the ball," he said. He ran to get the ball that Turquoise has knocked out of bounds. As soon as he picked it up, a strong gust of wind almost knocked him off his feet.. "Hey, why is it getting so... windy!?" The pufferfish monster turned the corner. "No! It's back! Pufferfish monster's back!" Peter dropped the ball, rushing back to the court.

"What's all the—" said Yong Soo as soon as he saw Peter. Peter took him by the hand, dragging him along.

"Yong Soo! Run!" Peter ran towards the Gems, Lien, Yao, and Mei. They were still arguing. "Topaz! Help!" The moment the last word left Peter's mouth, Topaz turned around, catching sight of the pufferfish.

"Peter! Oh, no!" said Topaz. She turned back to the Gems. "Gems! Protect zhe Wangs!" The Gems took the Wangs and jumped away to safety behind a rock.

"Hey!?" said Yao. "What is going on!?"

"This is terrible," said Peter, slumping up against the stone. "I was trying to get everyone together, but now everyone's in danger."

"I'm not afraid of that thing!" said Yong Soo, rolling up his sleeves. "Let's see if you can keep up with me!" Peter looked from Yong Soo to the pufferfish. He nodded.

"Of course I can!" Peter and Yong So ran from the saftey of the rock and towards the pufferfish.

"Over here!"

"No! Over here! Come on!" The pair began shouting at it to get the monster's attention. Yong Soo and Peter ran in circles around it. The others were watching what they were doing.

"Oh my gosh! Peter!" cried Pearl.

"What are they doing?" said Lien.

"Everybody!" called out Peter. "Get ready!"

"Yong Soo, you are crazy!" shouted Yao.

"Not crazy…" said Topaz with a small shake of her head, "Brave."

"Yong Soo!" shouted Mei. "Be careful!"

"Turquoise!" yelled Peter. "Turn yourself into a ball!"

"Okay!" said Turquoise. She shapeshifted into a ball, just as she had been told.

"Mei!" said Yong Soo, "Roll Turquoise to the net and then hold on!"

"Sure thing!" said Mei.

"Pearl! Head over to Mei and Turquoise!"

"Yes, sir!" said Pearl. She jumped over to the net

"Hit Turquoise into the air as hard as you can!" Pearl cracked her knuckles, looking over at Turquoise. She picked her up.

"With pleasure." She hit Turquoise high into the air.

"Yao! Lien!" Yong Soo continued, "Get over to the net!" Yao and Lien did as they were told.

"Topaz, spike the beach!" added Peter.

"I understand!" said Topaz. She equipped her gauntlets. Topaz jumped up in the air, grabbing Turquoise.

"Be gentle," Turquoise asked her.

"I'll try!" Topaz hit Turquoise. Turquoise grunted as she gradually set aflame from the force of Topaz's strike. Turquoise landed on the sand, creating a huge spike of glass on the sand. She took back he original form.

"Here comes the tricky part!" said Yong Soo.

"I'm ready!" said Peter said with a nod. Yong Soo turned to the others.

"Everyone take the net to the other side of the court!" At the same moment everyone began to pry the net from the sand, Peter and Yong Soo ran towards them with the pufferfish following.

"Okay, everyone, pull the net into its face!" Everyone pushed the net onto the monster's face.

"It's not enough!" Peter looked up.

"Don't worry, here comes Topaz!" Topaz struck the net. The force of her hit pushed the monster into the glass. A cloud of sand covered the beach as the monster reverted into a gem. Pearl picked it up, bubbling it and sending it into the Temple.

* * *

It took a while for everyone to get resituated and get the sand out of their clothes.

"Thanks for your hospitality," said Yao, during off his shirt. Yong Soo lightly punched his stomach.

"And?" he said.

"And, for saving my family, you are all officially unbanned from my shop."

"Aw, thank you so much, Yao!" said Peter. "We really appreciate it, right, guys?"

"Okay, yes, zhanks," said Topaz quickly.

"Aaaand?"

"What were we banned from again?" Pearl whispered. Peter laughed nervously. He waved goodbye as the Wangs left the beach, silently hoping that no one heard Pearl's comment.


	19. Em's Room

**Episode 19: Em's Room**

* * *

Peter sat alone in his house. The Gems were off on a mission that was far too dangerous for him to come with. Peter had spent the past few hours eating food out of cans.

"This is it, folks. Rookie sensation Peter Väinämöinen readies his last spoon full of Colonel Kernel's Classic Creamed Corn," said Peter to an imaginary audience. "As the crowd waits with bated breath, one bite between him... and destiny." Peter put the last of the cream corn in his mouth and put the can in the counter. "And he's done it! He's eaten four cans of creamed corn!"

The warp pad activated. The Crystal Gems stepped out of the stream. The bottom of Topaz's hair was smoldering.

"Good afternoon, Peter," said Pearl.

"Guys, check this out!" said Peter, motioning the Gems closer to him.

"Pe-man in the house!" said Turquoise, walking over to Peter. She leaned up against the counter. "Whatcha got?"

"I got four empty cans of Colonel Kernel's Classic Creamed Corn!"

"Cool," said Topaz. She was running her hair under the sink as she attempted to put out what remained of flames. Peter showed the Pearl and Turquoise the back of the can.

"Yeah, and on the back are five dollar coupons for mini-golf. I ate four cans, so we all can go together."

"That's so thoughtful, Peter," said Pearl. "Unfortunately though, uhh…" She looked at Turquoise. Turquoise shrugged.

"We gotta go back out…" she said.

"What? No!" said Peter, dropping the cans. The clatter rang throughout the house. "But you guys promised we'd hang out!" Topaz turned off the tap and walked towards the warp pad, the end of her hair matted and dripping behind her.

"A dangerous artifact has appeared in zhe Norzhern Hemisphere," she said. "Ve need to go retrieve it."

"But mini-golf is so much fun! There's castles, and windmills, and I like it, and- oh look, look what I brought!" Peter headed over the table in the living room and picked up a pair of pants. They were printed with a horrible argyle pattern. "I pulled out my dad's old clubs and also found a pair of his old golf pants. They're a little big on me, but you can wear them, Topaz!" Pearl and Turquoise chuckled. Topaz remained unamused as the other Gems joined her on the Warp Pad.

"See ya, buddy!" said Turquoise.

"We'll bring you something back!" Pearl added. The Warp Pad activated, taking the Gems away with its blue stream Peter sighed heavily and fell back on the couch.

"Well, you're not the only ones with a dangerous adventure to tackle," he said.

Peter went up to his loft, dropping down in front of the TV on the floor. He started up his video game system. The game inside was a mini-golf based game. Peter started to play.

"Awww yeah! You received the Mythril Putter!" he said, imitating game sounds. "Don't worry Professor. We're gonna sink 'em all!" He chuckled "Uh oh." A windmill-like enemy appeared in his path. "Oh windmill. Why must we always fight? Playing with the Gems would've been just like this!"

* * *

Peter didn't stop playing his game. He stayed up all night, playing until the sun rose to single the morning.

"I can't lose! I am the greatest golfer in the Universe!" said Peter, making the sounds of an explosion. He has beaten the game. He laughed. "Alright! Secret ending!" Peter didn't notice the Warp Pad activate. The Gems stepped off it. Peter barely acknowledged then.

"Hey, Peter!" said Pearl, "We're back!"

"Hey."

" _Project F.L.O.G!_ " said the main character in Peter's game. " _That's golf backwards._ " On the TV screen, a cryogenic capsule started opening. "What is this?" Turquoise jogged up to Peter's bedroom. She stood in between him and the screen.

"Hey Peter," she said. "Wanna hear about where we've been?"

"Un— Oh! Wait! Wait, hold on!" Peter moved Turquoise out of the way. She sat down next to the television, looking a bit unpleased that she had been pushed aside so easily.

" _June 9, 2014? But that was the date he disappeared!_ " Turquoise waved her hand in front of Peter.

"Hey!" Peter batted her hand away.

"Peter!" sais Topaz, "Look at zhis." The game kept talking in the background. Topaz heaved a large, weird looking stone. It was carved with strange runes, had a hole in the center and had a button on the top.

"It's the Wailing Stone we found!" said Turquoise.

"Zhe Vailing Stone I found." Pearl came up beside Topaz. She has to be standing on the sofa to reach that height.

"Isn't it neat?" she said. "It uses high-frequency sound waves as a message relay…"

"Guys!" said Peter. He couldn't hear his game.

"...Between two fixed points!"

"Look, you just have to push this!" said Turquoise. She pressed the button on top of the Wailing Stone. The Wailing Stone activated, interrupting Pearl and making the TV break with its sonic pitch. Peter covered his ears. Pearl pushed the button again, successfully shutting it off.

"Turquoise, I told you not to turn it on the house!" Turquoise laughed.

"Chill out P, it's not like anyone got hurt, and Peter loved it!... Uh, Peter?" Peter stared at the broken TV.

"That was the secret ending! Now I have to replay the final dungeon all over again!" shouted Peter. The hours of sleep he lost were now for nothing. "It's not fair! I can't go mini-golfing, I can't play my game, I can't stop going into the bathroom because I ate all that Creamed Corn, so much Corn…" Peter gripped the edges of his stomach before he sighed. "I just wish I had a place for myself."

A soft green glow illuminated under Peter's shirt. The boy tugged it up to reveal the glow his gem was giving off. "My gem!"

The Gems started to move towards Peter. Even they didn't understand what was happening. The star on the Temple Door activated. The long dormant, dark green gem on it was glowing in sync with Peter's gem.

"Emerald's door," said Pearl. "Peter, your gem is opening your mother's room!" The symbol of Emerald's army appeared on the Temple door. It opened.

Peter dropped down from his bedroom and headed over to it. He could hear the Gems' voices overlapping behind him.

"Peter, wait!"

"Peter, wait!"

"Peter, don't go in zhere!"

"It's never about what I wanna do, is it?" said Peter, spinning around to face them, "Well now we have a place where I'm going and you can't come!" He turned back around and ran in.

"Peter!" cried out the Gems. The door sealed behind Peter before it poofed into green clouds. Peter couldn't believe his eyes.

His mother's room in the temple was empty. The tranquil atmosphere was signified by white and green clouds and a pale green "sky". Peter could not see where it started and where it began.

"Woah. So this is my mom's room?" said Peter to himself. He began to walk in the room. "She must've liked clouds a lot... But what kind of room doesn't even have a bed?" Something knocked Peter off of his feet. A bed had appeared under him. "Woah, cool! Hm... This bed is pretty nice. But you know what would be really nice? Quadruple-bunk beds!" The bed turns into a quadruple bunk bed complex. "With a slide!" A slide appeared. Peter slid down it. He flew into the air. "A parachute!" A parachute appeared, lowering Peter to the ground. "What next? Hmmmm... Ummmm... A Tiny Floating Whale?" The Tiny Floating Whale appeared and made whale sounds. Peter laughed. "Wow! Here I can get anything I ask for! But you know what I really want? I wanna see the end of my game, without being interrupted!" Peter's video game popped-in. Peter and the Whale high fived. Peter sat down to watch the ending.

" _It's me, your father! After decades of cryostation, I'm finally free!"_  
 _"Saving the day is just par for the course."_

"Awesome!" said Peter. His stomach growled. "I'm kinda hungry now." A chocolate bar appeared. "Alright!" The puffed when Peter tried to eat it. "Wha... ? Hey! I want a real chocolate bar!" Another chocolate bar appeared. The bar puffed again. "What?! Can you believe this?" The Tiny Floating Whale made whale sounds. It couldn't make a single noise that sounded like English. "Now I have to go out for food!" The door appeared behind him. Peter got up and left the room.  
"Don't get excited, guys. I'm only back for a second," he said as he stepped into his room. Peter stopped and looked around. The Gems weren't there. "Well, good! I didn't want to see you anyway."

Peter jogged down to the convenience store. He swung open the door. Despite it appearing to be past their closing time, Lovise and Mathias stood at the counter with unnatural grins on their faces.

"Hey! How's my favorite fine foods franchise?" said Peter. "So I'm thinking... Double chocolate cinnamon twist doughnut with sprinkles on the side. You know I like to dip." Lovise and Mathias didn't say anything, and just kept looking at Peter and smiling. "Uhhh... Earth to Lovise and Mathias! Is this like a joke or something?"

"Hello, Peter. What would you like?" said Lovise and Mathias together.

"Uhh, I just said-"

"It's very nice to see you, Peter!"

"Well, it's very nice to see you, too!"

"Here you go!" They handed him a bag. Peter opened it. All that was inside were a few chocolate bars.

"Wait, you guys. I only ordered-"

"Okay, we love you, Peter! Bye bye, now!" Lovise and Mathias went to the back of the store. The odd thing was, they seemed to slide into the backroom. They didn't take a single step.

"Wait! where are you guys going? I still haven't paid for these!" Peter followed after them. You guys, hold on a... sec." Lovise and Mathias left through the back door and Peter followed again. When he got outside, only Aurel was there. Peter looked around. He was becoming confused.

"Hey, Aurel! Have you seen Mathias and Lovise?" asked Peter, "They should have just been out here! Hey, if you see them, let me know. Okay? Here." Peter poked Aurel with a chocolate bar, but he didn't move. "I'll leave it here for you." He put the chocolate bar on Aurel's head. "See you later!"

* * *

Peter walked on through the town. He felt like something was strange. Stranger than normal, anyhow.

He passed by the fry stand without noticing who was inside.

"All the lights are on. But no one is here…" Peter muttered to himself. Peter stopped. He walked backwards. Inside the fry stand was the Fryboy suit. Didn't he destroy that weeks ago? "Cole?" Fryboy put fry bits on the counter. "Oh, fry bits. Usually I'm all about the bits. But I'm feeling kinda spooked right now." Fryboy kept putting fry bits plates in the same place. Peter's heart almost stopped. "Uh, you know what? I think I'm gonna look around some more. See you later!"

* * *

Peter kept walking around Heta City. As soon as he got there, Peter began to look around the Heta City Funland. He stopped in front of the arcade until the lights and games are turned on. Peter felt his heart race. This was unnatural. He ran. He didn't stop running until he reached the beach.

When Peter stopped to catch his breath, he noticed a familiar figure down by the water. Wendy.

"Wendy! I can't believe it's you. When did you get back in town?" he asked her. Peter jogged up to her. He looked down at the waves. The water kept moving forward and backwards in the same pattern. "The water! Wendy, what's happening? Where is everyone?" Wendy turned around. Behind her glasses, her eyes were nothing but white.

"He was incredible!" she said. "He was incredible!" Peter almost leapt back. She was acting the same as everyone else.

"Wha... What?!"

"He was incredible!"

"Get me out of here!" Wendy kept repeating 'He was incredible!' over and over again. "What's wrong with your face?" The water came up and surrounded itself around Peter.

"Can someone please explain this?!"

Peter sank in the water. He shut his eyes. He hoped this was a dream.

When Peter opened his eyes again, he was at his father's clinic. Tino was waiting for him.

"Peter!"

"Dad?" asked Peter. He ran up to him. "Is that you?"

"What? Of course! You doing alright?" asked Tino. "You look like you saw a ghost. Either that, or you stayed up all night."

"Dad, I'm freaking out! I feel like I'm stuck inside of some crazy dream."

"Why don't we sit down and you can tell me about this crazy night you're having?"

Tino lead Peter inside the building. The two sat down in the waiting room. Peter opened the bag he had received. He gave one of the chocolate bars to his dad. He held one for himself.

"The Gems were trying to tell me something about Mom's Room," said Peter, explaining his tale. "But I was so mad that I didn't listen. They're always leaving me behind, and... I guess I wanted to do it to them, too."

"That's not so bad. Everyone needs some alone time now and then." Tino messed up Peter's hair with the palm of his hand. Peter laughed. He was starting to feel a little better.

"Yeah. It was really fun for a while. But now, the whole city… Everyone and everything is acting really weird."

"Well the important thing is you told the truth."

"Yeah, I... guess I did." Tino messed Peter's hair up again. "Uh, Dad? Your advice is making less sense than usual."

"Well the important thing is family and friendship, honesty values, and no one got arrested." Tino screwed up Peter's hair a third time. Peter went to tear open the wrapping around his bar. As soon as he ripped it, the bar poofed into clouds. That's when it struck. "I'm still in the room! All of this—it's all a fake!"

Tino reached for Peter. With a loud snap, he disappeared, along with most of his office.

"This is all wrong!" shouted Peter. He ran out the door.

Peter kept running. Behind him, the city started to vanish. All that was left behind was an empty void. Peter started to run up to a hill, watching as everyone and everything disappear. He wanted to get out. He wanted to go home.

Peter reached the top of the hill. He was gasping. The void was catching up to him. Peter took a few steps backward. He didn't see the cliff behind him. Peter fell into the growing void.

"I don't want this!" he shouted into oblivion. An invisible force formed around him. It held onto Peter, as if two people were falling together.

"What do you want, Peter?" asked a voice. It was strong, maternal and made Peter calm down by the slightest bit.

"I want to be back with the Gems!" Peter hugged himself up into a ball. He just wanted to go home.

The next thing Peter knew, he had ceased falling. He uncurled himself just in time to see himself tumbling out of the Temple door. The Gems were on the other side. Peter fell on Topaz.

"Peter!" said the Gems, all at once. They crowded around him.

"Peter, don't ever do that again," said Pearl. "You had us scared half to death!" Without a moment's hesitation, Peter bit down Topaz's arm.

"Ow." Topaz said.

"You're not clouds!" Peter tackled Topaz.

"Alright, Peter!" said Turquoise. She bit Pearl's arm.

"Guys, it was awful!" said Peter once Topaz had forced him off of her. The boy was holding on like a snake. "I was trapped in a messed up version of Heta City. Everyone was acting super weird and…"

"Emerald's room built the whole town?!" Turquoise said, her jaw dropping. Pearl pushed her away, hoping not to get bit again.

"It can't handle a task like that!" Pearl said, "Thank goodness you're okay!" Peter sighed.

"I'm sorry I got mad," he said. "I get it now. Things can't always go exactly how I want."

"Peter, we're sorry, too," said Pearl, offering Peter to come closer. He took it and crawled up next to her.

"But guess vhat?" said Topaz. "Ve have time to hang out, now."

* * *

To Peter's happiness, the Gems took him mini-golfing. He had never felt happier, because this time, it was real. All of it.

* * *

 **In the next episode, Peter becomes determined to get stronger after watching Topaz and Turquoise fuse against Pearl's wishes.**


	20. Coach Peter

**Episode 20: Coach Peter**

* * *

Peter was ecstatic. The Gems were taking him on an important mission. He and the Gems had warped to their destination. The place they arrived at contained many huge pillars adorned with triangular patterns that were built up into a tower. Peter looked up at it, amazed.

"Woah!" he said. "What magical place of mystery is this?"

"Well—" Turquoise began. Pearl stepped between her and Peter, successfully cutting her off.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" said Pearl as she walked over to the pillars. "This was once a communication hub for Gem-kind. But lately, it's begun transmitting bursts of electromagnetic interference!" Peter gave off a blank stare. He looked over to Topaz as she came up behind him.

"Whazzat mean?" Peter asked her.

"It's hurting television," said Topaz, walking over to meet Pearl.

"No! I'll save you television!" Peter ran over to the pillars. He tried to damage one of them. Before he could hurt himself, Turquoise dashed over and lifted Peter up and away from the pillar.

"Sorry, but we need a Peter at least…" she said before shapeshifting into a stronger looking Peter and putting on a deeper voice. "This strong for this job!" Peter gasped.

"It's all the me I could be!" Turquoise put Peter down. She walked back over and attempted to destroy the pillar. Turquoise only managed to knock off a small piece. Pearl caught it and tossed it off to the side.

"Turquoise, we could be here all day taking out these pillars individually," she said.

"Ugh, I hate it when you're right," Turquoise groaned. She shifted back into her normal form. "You get this look on your face…" She looked at Pearl. Pearl's features were painted with a snarky, proud look. Turquoise groaned again. "Yeah, that's the one."

"What we need is a well thought out plan—" said Pearl. Her gem started to glow to project one of her infamous holograms. Topaz held out her hand in front of Pearl. The light from Pearl's gem faded.

"No," she said. "Vhat ve need-or razher who ve need-is Howlite. Turquoise, come here."

"WHAT?!" said Pearl and Turquoise. Turquoise began to scream and spin around in excitement, much like a child on Christmas who had gotten the gift of their dreams. Pearl was left looking overall confused and worried.

"Yeah! Let's mash it up! Bigger, badder, better!" Turquoise said as she twirled was confused for a while, then asked excitedly.

"Hold on!" he said. "Are... are you guys going to become a Gem Fusion?" Pearl and Turquoise looked to Topaz. There was a moment of suspended silence. In the end, Topaz nodded.

"It's zhe only vay to take down zhe Hub in zhe shortest amount of time," she said. Turquoise excitedly screamed. Both Turquoise and Peter screamed in excitement.

"Wait!" interrupted Pearl. She paused. "Topaz, think about this. You and Turquoise can be a little… unstable when your personalities combine. You remember what happened last time."

"Last time ve formed Howlite vent fine."

"Say that to that fishing boats you destroyed." Topaz seemingly rolled her eyes as she walked away from Pearl. "We need to be careful! Fuse with me instead." Topaz stopped and turned back to face Pearl.

"Ve don't need to be careful. Ve just need to be huge," she said. "And T-"

"Oh, yeah!" said Turquoise before Topaz could finish her sentence. "Let's wreck this joint!" She ran over, standing a good deal away from Topaz. Topaz's gemstones glowed.

"Synchronize," she said. Topaz and Turquoise's fusion dance began. Topaz rolled her upper body. Peter didn't know she was this flexible. Turquoise began to shimmy to either side. She smirked.

Pearl blushed and covered Peter's eyes.

"Wha-? Whu-?" said Peter. "Pearl... Come on! I wanna see!" Topaz whipped her hair around her head. She sent a nod towards Turquoise. Turquoise ran forward as Topaz opened up to her. The moment they collided, Topaz and Turquoise turned into a mass of light. A dragon-shaped mass formed where they had fused. It twisted itself and mangled itself. The fusion dropped to the ground with a thud. Howlite.

Unlike the first fusion Peter saw, (Pearl and Turquoise's fusion, Larimar) Howlite was eleven feet tall. She had a thick build with four arms, each pair seemingly to share a shoulder joint. Her mouth was twisted into a grin and filled with sharp, pointed teeth. She had a giant mass of spiky, black hair. It reminded Peter of a tangled up mass of seaweed with the style it was in. Her skin color was a dull white. Her grayish white gemstones were the palms of her upper arms and chest. The brown lines on Turquoise's gemstone had turned a dark gray. Howlite wore a ripped, dark gray, black and white bodysuit similar to Topaz's, and a triangular visor covered her eyes.  
Howlite laughed and cracked her knuckles

"I forgot how great it feels to be me!" she said excitedly.  
"That's Howlite?" said Peter in wonder and amazement.

"You got it, baby," said Howlite. She crouched down to meet Peter. "Hey, Peter. Wanna see something cool?"

"Yeah!" Howlite stood up. She summoned Topaz's gauntlets, molding them together. She threw them up. Howlite summoned Turquoises whip, catching the gauntlets with it. The newly formed flail landed beside her. Peter gasped loudly in amazement.

"You like that, little man?" Howlite asked.

"Are you gonna smash stuff with your wrecking-ball-thingy?" Peter said, speeding up due to the hyperactive state Howlite had put him in.

"That's the plan! Where should I start?"

"Do that one!" Peter pointed to a pillar. Howlite swung her flail. It smashed clean through a series of pillars.

Pearl, meanwhile, had a scowl etched upon her face. She put her hands on Peter's shoulders.

"Peter, I think we should go," said Pearl.

"No way!" said Peter. "This is awesome!" Howlite smashed more pillars. Her recklessness with her assault caused debris to fall everywhere, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

"Watch it!" Pearl shouted. She kicked a rock as it came towards her, breaking it in half. A small rock hit Peter in the face. "Peter!" Pearl bent down next to him. Seeing the thin line of red appear on his forehead, she grew furious. She stood up and turned to Howlite. "You're just too much!"

"Maybe you're just too little!" snapped Howlite.

"Peter, we're going!" said Pearl. She picked Peter up, throwing him over her shoulder with a small amount of difficulty.

"What? I'm fine! It's just a scratch!" said Peter. "What about Howlite?"

"She can find her own way home!" Pearl put Peter down on the Warp Pad. She activated it before he could step off.

* * *

Peter was upset with Pearl from the moment they returned home. He wouldn't even let her patch up the cut he had recovered on the mission, which was a job she took pride in.

An unnecessary amount of gauze and medical tape later, Peter snuck out of the house. He headed down to the convenience store, hoping not to be bothered by Pearl.

"'Sup?" said Peter to the two employees on duty the moment he entered.

"Peter, what happened to you?" asked Lovise. Her eyes were on the horrible job Peter had done to his forehead.

"Oh just a little battle damage from our last mission."

"Really?"

"Like what?" said Mathias, walking out of the backroom.

"I got hit by a rock!" said Peter. He took off his gauze, showing Lovise and Mathias the tiny cut. Both Lovise and Mathias exchanged a look with one another before they burst out laughing at Peter's battle damage.

"It must not have been a very big rock," said Lovise, hiding a snicker behind her hand.

"Well... there's... internal... bleeding," said Peter. "My hurt is on the inside!"

"Toughen up, Peter!" said Mathias.

"You're right. I'm soft." Peter struggled with the tape sticking his gauze together. The moment he got a firm hold on it, Peter pulled it off, allowing th e long atrip of guaze to unwind. He balled it up before stuffing it into his pocket.

"If I weren't so modest, I'd whip out my sweet six-pack." Mathias said. He picked up a small jar and made an attempt to open it. with Sadly, he struggled to open it. Even by the smallest bit. "And show you what a real man... looks like!" Lovise held out her hand, offering to open it. After about a minute or two of struggling, Mathias gave the jar up to hef. With incredible ease, Lovise pried the lid off. She handed it to Mathias. "Nah... I'm not gonna say thanks." Lovise narrowed her eyes before she turned and walked out from behind the counter.

"That's it! We all need a workout! Let's do it! Let's workout together!" said Peter. "Lovise can beat up Mathias and Mathias doesn't have to starve to death if Lovise divorces him!"

"We're not married!" Mathias said quickly.

"And I know just the guy to help us out."

* * *

Peter, Lovise and Mathias went to the beach later that day. Due to Peter's influence, Tino had spent a majority of the afternoon crafterting a makeshift gym.

"Wow! This looks great!" said Peter as he, Mathias and Lovise walked up to the structure. "Hey, dad!"

"Hey, Peter," said Tino, wiping sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, "You like it? It's the best I can do on such short notice." Mathias picked up a dumbbell made of cans. As soon as he did, it fell apart.

"No kidding," he muttered.

"Well I might join you kids show you how it's done! I've been slacking off on my workout routine for few weeks…" said Tino. "Months... years..."

"Sure! The more the meatier! Oh! We'll need sweatbands!" Peter said. He ran up to his house.

Pearl strolled over from the opposite side of the beach, walking past the gym on her way inside. She, much like Peter, needed to go and relieve her stress after the incident with Howlite. Long story made short, trees on a forest nearby had a few more cuts in their trunks.

"Hey Pearl," said Tino when he caught sight of Pearl. "Come to check us out?" Pearl gazed over the area before she looked Tino up and down.

"… No," said Pearl. She made her way up to the door. Peter came dashing out, a large grin on his face a sweatbands in his arms.

"We're starting a gym!" Peter said enthusiastically. "I'm gonna get super strong! Like Howlite!" Pearl's eyes narrowed.

"You know, maybe this isn't a good idea."

"What? I wanna be strong so I can be useful to the team!"

"There are…" Pearl hesitated, swallowing down something heavy in her throat, "...different ways of being strong…"

"But I want to be strong in the real way. Come on, Pearl." Peter put on sweatband. "Let's get beefy!" Pearl felt fury writhe throughout her body as her face turned a dark deal.

"I'd rather not." Pearl opened the door, slamming it shut behind her. Her blush faded as she began to calm down. She leaned up against the door and sighed, sliding down it. "Peter…" Pearl.

" _Why do you have to look up to her aside from in a literal sense?_ " Pearl sang. She was certain no one could hear her. She began to pick up Peter's discard shirts off the floor. " _Don't you know that a power that big comes with a bigger expense_?" A pair of triangular sunglasses fell out of one of the shirts. They were nearly identical to Howlite's. " _And can't you see that she's out of control and overzealous_?" Pearl crossed over to the window. She opened the blinds, watching the group on the beach below. " _I'm telling you for your own good, and not because I'm_ -" Pearl closed the blinds, leaving only the smallest portion open. What she didn't notice was Peter sitting outside the window. He was listening to her every word. _"I can show you how to be strong… in the real way. And I know that we can be strong in the real way_ ," Pearl continued, dancing throughout the room. _"And I want to inspire you. I want to be your rock and when I talk it lights a fire in you_."

Peter left from underneath the window. He headed back down to the beach. He watched as Lovise, Mathias and his father worked out on the gym. He got an idea.  
" _I can show you how to be strong… in the real way_ ," sang Peter, repeating the bit of Pearl's song he had overheard. " _And I know that we can be strong In the real way_."  
" _And I want to inspire you! I want to be your rock and when I talk it lights a fire in you,"_ Pearl and Peter unknowingly sang together. " _I want to inspire you I want to be your rock and when I talk it lights a fire in you."_

* * *

The sun had lowered in the sky. While everyone else was a sweating mess, Peter seemed rather content.

"Hey, Peter. Maybe um... you can work out a bit, too?" asked Lovise, pulling her hair back.

"I have been," Peter said.

"We've been working out," said Mathias. "You've just been singing some song."

"But you're doing a great job pumping us up!" added Tino.

"Thanks!" said Peter. "But I need to get strong, too. I'm switching to four-wheel drive!" Peter began to join in with his friends and father. Something which he would come to regret come morning.

* * *

The next morning, Peter could barely move. His muscles were stiff and in pain, even with smallest flinch. He didn't get out of bed. By the time the sun started to set, Peter was positive everyone had forgotten about the gym. He was wrong.

"Peter, come on" called out a voice from outside. Peter easily recognized it as Lovise's. "We're ready to get started!" Peter groaned, rolling off his bed.

"Be there in a sec!" he called back. Peter gor up off the floor and proceeded to go down the stairs. Every muscle in his body was screaming. "So sore…" The moment he reached the bottom step, Pearl went over to him. She looked worried. "What's wrong?" Peter noticed the lack of Gems in the room. "Where are Topaz and Turquoise?"

"I don't know," said Pearl. "They still aren't back yet. I tried to warp back and check on them, but the Warp Pad is down!"

Suddenly, the ground started to shake with the force of a mountain. The house started to crumble. A piece of the ceiling fell near Pearl and Peter. Pearl pushed Peter out of the way.

"Wha—" Peter muttered. He and Pearl quickly ran out of the house. Their eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Storming up the beach from the ocean was none other than Howlite. Everyone on the beach scattered to cover.

"I'M... BORED!" roared Howlite.

"It's Howlite!" said Peter. Pearl and Peter ran down from the Temple to meet Howlite at the shore.

"Y-You're back!" Pearl stuttered.

"YOU LEFT ME BEHIND!" shouted Howlite, pointing towards Pearl.

"We just thought you didn't need any help. Now why don't you separate, and we can all sit down and relax?" Pearl gestured over to the Temple.

"No!" Howlite kicked Pearl back.

"Pearl!" cried Peter.

"Listen to me!" Pearl yelled, struggling to her feet. "You've been fused for too long! You're losing yourselves!"

"I AM MYSELF!" Howlite roared. "AND I'M SICK OF BEING SPLIT UP! So you better get used to me, baby." Howlite stepped on the gym that surprisingly still stood on the sand, thus destroying it. "AND GET THIS JUNK OFF MY BEACH!" Peter rushed over to Pearl, no matter how much it pained him to.

"Why is she wrecking Dad's gym?" he asked. "Why is she attacking you?!" Pearl got up. She lifted Peter up and tossed him towards his father.

"Get Peter out of here!" she said. Peter was caught by Tino. Everything hurt too much. Peter had overworked himself.

"I... can't... move…" He moaned in pain. Pearl turned back to Howlite. She summoned her spear as her eyes narrowed.

"What?" said Howlite, "You wanna fight?!"

"You'll thank me later!" Pearl ran toward Howlite. Howlite hit Pearl away.

"Come on," said Tino, helping Peter to get up.

"Dad, no!" said Peter. "Pearl!" Pearl knocked off Howlite's visor, revealing six black eyes, three on each side of her face in a triangular arrangement. All six of them looked like burning coal as Howlite glared at Pearl

"YOU THINK YOU'RE SOMETHING?" shouted Howlite. "YOU!" She smacked Pearl in the air. "AIN'T!" She smashed Pearl into the ground. "NOTHING!" She was hurting Pearl. Now Peter understood why Pearl never wanted Topaz and Turquoise to fuse. Howlite was unstable, and extremely dangerous.

Howlite attempted to crush Pearl with her flail, but missed when Pearl rolled away. When the flail landed on the sand, the resulting shockwave made Peter and Tino fly away, slamming on the ground.

"Everything hurts…" Peter groaned.

"Peter!" shouted Pearl. She could no longer stand. Pearl kneeled, using her spear to keep ger up. Tears leaked out from her eyes, staining her glasses and cheeks with salty droplets. "I'm sorry… Peter, Topaz, Turquoise…" She sniffed. "I wasn't strong enough, to protect you. I'm not strong enough to do anything…" Peter attempted to get over to Pearl, but the heavy pull gravity had on his body right now was much to great. He couldn't get far enough to get to her. The only thing in his reach was a megaphone. Getting an idea, Peter grabbed it.

"Come on, Pearl! Don't give up!" said Peter, speaking through the megaphone, "I know you can take her down!"

"I can't…" said Pearl. "I'm just a-." Howlite was getting closer to her.

"Yes, you can! Come on! You always knew what to do! You gotta show her what you showed me! That you're strong, Pearl! Strong in the real way!" Peter cried. Pearl looked back. She got up and glanced at the Crystal Temple. Pearl wiped any remaining residue from her eyes. She stared up at Howlite, gripping her spear with enough force that could possibly break it in half.

"What?" said Howlite, looking down at Pearl. "You want some more?!"

"Any time!" said Pearl. "You're no match for me! Not even close!" Howlite punched the ground, giving Pearl the boost she needed to get a headstart. Pearl ran. She ran up and over to the lighthouse that resided on top of the cliff the Temple was built into. Howlite. chased after Pearl up to the lighthouse.

"Go!" shouted Peter.

"Get back here!" Howlite said. Pearl, as soon as she reached the top of the cliff, leapt off. "Nice try." Howlite started swinging her flail. She was on the edge of the cliff. Pearl threw her spear at the chunk of earth Howlite was standing on. It knocked the chunk away, causing Howlite to come crashing to the ground. "Is that all you got? You think that's enough to beat—" Howlite's flail landed on her head. There was a thick cloud of grayish dust. Howlite had separated, leaving Topaz and Turquoise on the beach.

"Turquoise! Topaz!" cried out Pearl. She ran over to her fellow Crystal Gems. "Are you okay!?"

"Yeah…" Topaz said, lifting her head up off the sand. "Howlite just overvorked our bodies. It's... a little painful."

"I've got a monster headache," said Turquoise, sitting up and gripping the sides of her head. Pearl didn't hesitate in hugging them. Turquoise & Topaz both moaned in pain.

"Whoops," said Pearl, dropping the two. Tino came over, holding Peter on his back.

"Pearl, you did it!" Peter said.

"Thanks. You make a good coach."

"Pearl, ve should've listened," said Topaz, pushing herself up. "You vere right."

"Yeah," said Pearl. "I was right."

"Go, Pearl!" said Peter.

"Come on! I feel great! Who's up for a mission? Or…" She continued to ramble on.

"How long is she going to keep this up?" said Turquoise, "She's making my head hurt even more."

"Ve deserve it," Topaz told her. "Take it like a Gem."


	21. Joking Victim

**Episode 21: Joking Victim**

* * *

Peter had spent the entire morning on the beach under Turquoise's supervision. She had been reluctant to do the job, but after the disaster with Howlite, one of the two participants had to take a rest. Since Topaz had been marked the Crystal Gems' unofficial leader after Emerald's death, that only left Turquoise. And now she had to babysit Peter.

Turquoise walked over to Peter, watching as he rinsed the sand off of his feet. She had a container of fries in her hand.

"Hey, Peter," said Turquoise. "You wanna try some special new fries?" She offered the container to Peter.

"Do I!" Peter said happily. He was starving. Without any hesitation, he ate a handful of the fries. Turquoise bit back a fit of laughter until she could hold it back anymore. She chuckled loudly. Peter, unwittingly, joined in. That was until his mouth and throat began to burn. His face turned red. "Hot!"

"They're special because they're seasoned with Fire Salt!" Turquoise pulled out a crystallized vial from her bra to show him. She dangled it out in front of him, the tiny red crystals hitting the glass. Peter, face still burning red, quickly attempted to turn the faucet back on. Unfortunately, the spigot broke off. Turquoise fell to the ground with how much she was laughing.

Peter shot up and ran to the convenience store nearby. It was the only place he knew of that could help. Peter burst in through the doors. He rushed to the soda fountain and sprayed soda in his mouth. With his haste, most of what he sprayed missed its intended target. The excess soda to spill onto the floor forming a large puddle.

Mathias stepped out from behind the counter to confront him.

"Peter! What are you—" said Mathias before he slipped on the puddle of soda. He went crashing to the ground, his side slamming against the tiled floor.

"Sowwy, Mathias," said Peter exhausted, and his tongue still burnt. Mathias propped himself up on his elbows.

"Peter! Who do you think has to clean up this mess?" Mathias looked to Lovise. "Lovise, clean up this mess."

"No way, it's your turn," said Lovise, annoyed. She was stocking shelves. "I cleaned the last five 'Peters'."

"Aww, come on. That fall messed up my back." He rubbed his side. "It hurts really bad." Lovise rolled her eyes. She went into the backroom, only to emerge with mop and bucket.

"Fine. Move," she said. "I'll take care of this. Could you grab the soap?" Mathias belted out a faked anguished groan.

"Oh! It hurts! So much!" Lovise sighed.

"Maybe you should take the day off if you're in that much pain." Mathias stood up quicker than Lovise had expected him to.

"You gonna be fine on your own?"

"I guess, but—"

"You're the best, Player Two!" Mathias had already made his way to the door. Without another word, he left.

"Wait, I can't run this place!" Lovise made her way to the door and threw it open. "Mathias!" Mathias was long gone. Lovise sighed, shutting the door. Peter walked over with a large pile of napkins and dropped them directly on the puddle. He turned to Lovise.

"I can help!" he said, "This place has given me so much. It's time I gave back."

* * *

It took about an hour to convince Lovise to go along with the idea. It took another ten minutes for her to find a employee uniform that would even fit Peter. After all that time had passed, Lovise motioned for Peter to follow her.

"It's time I showed you the Employee Room," she said. She lead Peter to the room in the back. The room itself was populated by several large supply boxes on the right, over a dozen boxes lining the back left, and a TV, two folding chairs and a small circular table furnishing the front left.

"Woah, this is the most magical place I've ever seen," said Peter as he entered. Lovise directed Peter to the boxes nearest them.

"These are the extra supplies," she explained. "Mathias usually sleeps on the napkins during his breaks."

"Is that why they're called, 'nap' -kins?"

"Not really, no." Lovise directed Peter to the folding chairs, table and TV. "On breaks, we hang out here. We can even watch TV." Lovise then brought him to another pile of boxes near the back. "Now, this is where we store everything. They're mailed in from some corporate bake-station."

"You mean you don't make them here?"

"No, not since some accident a few years ago." Lovise reached over to a shelf, pulling off a box that fit in in her hand. She showed it to Peter. "Peter, this job is a big responsibility, so you're gonna have to watch this video tape."

"What is it?"

"It's like a DVD shaped like a box, and it'll tell you everything you need to know." She put tape in VHS player. The tape revealed someone Peter didn't recognize its star.

"Who's that?" Peter asked. Lovise was already halfway towards the door. "Did he used to work here?" She headed back over. She groaned before moving back to the door.

"No. I've never seen him before."

The moment the tape had finished, Peter left the backroom. He joined Lovise at the counter.

* * *

About two hours into his new job, Peter started talking with Lovise. He never realized how hard she would be to converse with. Her answers to all of his questions were flat and straight to the point until Peter came up with one she couldn't avoid.

"How'd you start working here?" Peter asked her. Lovise looked away from the customer she was helping and to him.

"It started out as just a summer job, but…" said Lovise, "That was two years ago."

"Why did you stay?"

"I…" Lovise's sentence droned off. "I don't know." Their eye contact broke when Emil, Lovise's stepbrother, walked into the store. "What a surprise." Emil held out a brown bag to Lovise. "What?"

"Erika switched my lunch with yours," Emil said with a sour tone. Lovise took the bag from his hands.

"Wait here." Lovise fled to the backroom, leaving Peter and Emil in the store. Peter looked up at the teenager.

"Peter, what are you doing?" said Emil when he noticed Peter staring at him.

"Just thinking," Peter answered. "You don't like coming here, right?" Emil didn't make any motion to confirm Peter's thought.

"I don't like seeing Lovise outside of the house and school if that's what you mean."

"But I thought she was your sister-"

"My _step_ sister," said Emil. "She thinks she's my sister, but she's-"

"I'm what?" Lovise had come back, a different bag in her hands. She walked over, but didn't give the bag to Emil. "I'm what, Emil?"

"You're working. Give me my lunch so I can go." Emil made a reach for the bag, only for Lovise to hold it out of his reach.

"Answer my question, little brother." Peter looked over at Emil. He didn't seemed too pleased with what Lovise had called him.

"Don't call me that." He sighed. "Just give it to me before I'm late." Lovise looked reluctant, but dropped the bag into Emil's hands. He left without another word.

"What was that about?" Peter asked, moving out from behind the counter. Lovise took his place.

"Emil may think I'm lying, but I'm not. We have the same mother, just different fathers. Unfortunately, we didn't find this out until a few years ago, so we thought we weren't blood related for the longest time. But because of that, he refuses to call me anything but his stepsister," Lovise explained to him. Noticing the somber expression the encounter had put Lovise in, Peter headed over to the coffee machine. He took the full coffee pitcher and a cup, pouring the brown liquid inside.

"To perk up, you gotta percolate, a hot cup of coffee, makes the perfect day!" Peter said, handing over the cup of coffee to Lovise.

"Thanks." Lovise took it. "Im a bit impressed with how you're handling all this. Maybe I should phone up Mathias to tell him he can stay home, because I found his replacement."

"Really?!" Peter said, sounding excited.

"Oh, no. I was kidding." Lovise went to drink from her coffee cup.

"I know we both love Mathias…" Lovise's eyes grew large as she began sputtering a bit on the coffee. "But... this job is the best thing to ever happen to me and we should fire Mathias." Lovise put the cup down, looking over to Peter.

"We can't 'fire Mathias'."

"Why not?"

"He may do things like come in late, and leave all the really hard work for me but…" Peter stared at her with a suspicious eye as she leaned up against the counter. "Look, I can tolerate Mathias more than I can most people. He's actually a decent guy once you get to know him. For example, there was this one time when a new game was coming out, but Mathias was banned from the only place selling it." In a rare moment, Peter caught Lovise genuinely laughing. Even if it was for a second. "He wanted it so bad. So who does he beg to stand in line for seven hours? Me. I didn't think much of it, but when I got to his house I saw he cleaned up his room a little, and he got a big box of these cookies. They were my favorite. He let me be his player two, and we spent the whole night together." She stared into her coffee, getting lost in thought.

"That really is nice... must've been one great video game." Lovise snapped back to reality.

"Yeah, it was."

"Maybe we could do something nice for Mathias?"

* * *

After the day had ended and the store was locked up, Lovise and Peter made their way to Mathias' house with a large box of doughnuts to cheer him up.

"D-d-donuts! Donuts donuts donuts, donuts donuts donuts...!" Peter sang on repeat.

"Peter, he's going to hear you," said Lovise. Peter and Lovise approached Mathias' front door.

"But the donut fever's fried my soul." He noticed a car parked out front. "What's that doing here?" The sound of laughter echoed from the backyard. Curiously, Lovise and Peter followed the sound. To their surprise, they found Mathias in the yard, jumping on a trampoline with Mei, Vladimir and Lovino. Mei stumbled into Mathias. He caught her before helping her up.

"Hey, Mathias, thanks for inviting us over," she said, pushing back her hair.

"It's no problem," said Mathias with a laugh, "'cause I got the whole day off, by faking a back injury!" Both Mei and Vladimir high-five him. Peter's face contorted into a cringe.

"He was faking this whole—" Peter said in disgust. He looked back over at at Lovise. "Lovise?" Lovise was shaking with Mathias' gift in her hands. Her dull blue eyes were narrowed. Her jaw was clenched tightly. She caught sight of Peter looking at her. Lovise tossed the box on the ground. She started to run off, taking slight recoil at seeing Mei's car parked in the road as she ran past it. Peter ran until he caught up with her. She was already halfway down the block before he was in close enough reach to grab her arm to stop her. once more before Peter was able to catch up with her.

"Don't worry!" he said. "We can handle the store. Who needs crummy old Mathias?"

"Peter!" Lovise snapped. She jerked Peter off of her. Peter could feel Lovise's anger radiating off of her like heat from a fire. "He's made a fool of me! That idiot! He's burned me before... Just once, I'dlike to burn him back!" Peter got an idea.

"I know how to burn people! Wait right here—" Peter ran past a confused Lovise. He turned back. "Actually, this might take a while, you better go home. See you tomorrow!" He ran off, leaving Lovise behind.

* * *

The next day, Lovise had returned to work. She wasn't surprised when Mathias wasn't there. With a few minutes before the store opened, she had taken refuge in the back room and was eating from a cookie tin. Peter burst into the room, holding a crystal vial in his hand. The night before, Peter had snuck into Turquoise's room with great difficulty to retrieve the Fire Salt.

"Fire Salt! Burn, burn people!" said Peter. He put bare doughnut in front of her and started to pour on the salts. Lovise took hold of his wrist, stopping him.

"You know we can't add anything!" she said.

"It's just a little fire salt," Peter said with an innocent shrug. "I was gonna prank Mathias."

"He did hurt my feelings, but what kind of person does that make you, if you try to hurt him back?"

"... Uh, a hero?" The front door bell went off. Lovise and Peter went over to the rack that stood behind the counter and acted as a wall between the store and the backroom. They could see Mathias enter the store, groaning in false pain.

"Lovise? I finally got out of bed but I don't think I can work today, either... Lovise?" said Mathias. "Don't make me walk all the way to the break room." Lovise's hands tightened up into balls. She took the Fire salts from Peter. She emptied a majority of the vial onto the doughnut.

"Lovise! This is gonna be so funny!" said Peter. He took the vial and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Lovise, where you at?" said Mathias, leaning up against the counter. "Are you slacking off?" Lovise and Peter emerged from the backroom and to their positions for work.

"Mathias," Lovise said with a frosty tone.

"Hi, Mathias!" Peter said.

"Why is Peter dressed like that?" Mathias asked, pointing to the uniform Peter was still wearing from the day before.

"Don't worry about that," said Lovise. "How's your back?"

"Actually it still hurts—"

"Really?"

"No, no, it's cool. I know I can count on you to help, P2."

"Sure. Just relax, in fact, why don't you have a doughnut?" She slid the Fire Salt-coated doughnut forward. Mathias just shrugged.

"Yeah, alright." He picked it up.

"Careful, it's a little hot." Peter's excitement built. Mathias took a bite.

"Hey, this is pretty good, is this a new flavor or something?" Peter, unable to control it anymore, started laughing.

"She said— she said it's hot!" Mathias raised an eyebrow at him. At that moment, Mathias' face turned a bright red. He doubled over, his fingers wrapping around his throat. Without warning, he began to breathe a persistent stream of fire. The flame lit up the store as he yelled in a panic. Lovise grabbed an extinguisher from off the wall.

"Peter, help!" she said.

"Mathias, drink this!" said Peter, handing him a stray cup of water. Mathias burned it before he could even drink it. In an obvious pain, Mathias ran from the store, so his best to hold his breath and the fire. Lovise darted to the door.

"Wait!" shouted Lovise as the sprinklers came on above her and Peter. "Peter, I didn't want this."

"I know how to fix this!" said Peter. "We just need to get Mathias to calm down."

* * *

Peter and Lovise followed the path of flames Mathias was leaving behind. as they pursue Mathias through the streets.

"I think he went this way!" said Peter. They both followed Mathias.

Mathias finally had given his all. He collapsed on the beach with Peter and Lovise close behind. Lovise was trailing behind Peter, putting out various fires along their path. As Peter got closer to Mathias, he found Turquoise to still be in exact same position she was in the day before.

"Turquoise!" said Peter, catching his breath as he came to a stop next to her.

"Hey, why's donut guy breathing fire?" asked Turquoise, pointing over to Mathias. She didn't even glance over at Peter.

"I tried to prank Mathias but I used too much Fire Salt!"

"Peter…" Peter braced for a rant on how dangerous was, "that's hilarious."

"What?"

"You…" Peter froze. He turned. Mathias was staring right at him, his hand still around his throat.

"...did... this to me?!" Mathias continued, struggling to talk. He only got his words out in between bouts of fire breaths. He ram at Peter. Peter yelped as Mathias began to chase after him, holding his fire breath. Turquoise looked on with a grin and laughed, much to Peter's dismay. Not being able to hold is breath, Mathias caused several patches of the boardwalk to light up. Finally, Mathias had managed to grab Peter by the edge of his shirt, pulling him closer. Mathias's face wasn't just red because of the flames at this point. Before he could do anything to the boy, a shout stopped him.

"It wasn't Peter!" Mathias looked behind , having finally caught up, was running towards him and Peter.

"It was me," said Lovise. Mathias's eyes widened. He let Peter go.

"Ohhh, now it's gettin' good!" said Turquoise.

"After all I do for you, you lie to me?" Lovise said, cautiously getting closer to Mathias. "So you can sneak off with to be with some girl?"

"And boys!" added Peter. Mathias, still struggling to breathe, glared at Peter. The boy retreated behind a nearby bench. He looked back over to Lovise when she began speaking again.

"That night we played video games, I don't know what it meant to you. But ever since then, I can't get the thought out of my head that you're a decent person instead of some…" Lovise choked on the emotion rising in her throat. Peter had never seen her like this. She was usually more apathetic and sarcastic. "That night, I really thought... Player Two. Is that just your way of saying I could be anyone?"

"Lo-vise—" said Mathias, trying to speak. He ended up coughing. Peter noticed Mathias's behavior. It sparked a memory in the back of his mind.

* * *

 _Turquoise wrapped her arms around Peter's lower half, pushing upwards. The boy cough again until the partly digested food that had become lodged in this throat was sputtered back out. Peter sighed, collapsing down on the kitchen counter._

 _"This is why you shouldn't eat so fast, little man," said Turquoise._

 _"Got it," said Peter shakily. "What was that you just did?"_

 _"Something I learned. I can teach you if you want."_

 _"Can you?"_

 _"You just gotta take both hands and push below the diaphragm!" Turquoise poked Peter's stomach, making him laugh a little._

* * *

Back in the present, Peter got out from behind the bench. He rushed over to Mathias, wrapping his arms around his torso.

"Take both hands, push below the diaphragm!" he said, repeating the words he had once been told. Upon completing the maneuver, Peter had accidentally pushed Mathias to the ground. Luckily, it worked. Mathias coughed up a large portion of the doughnut he had eaten. Lovise put out with the fire extinguisher. Peter sat up, getting off of Mathias. "Another day saved by Peter Väinämöinen! You're welcome."

Mathias, ignoring Peter, pushed himself off of the ground. Rubbing his throat, he walked over to Lovise. She was putting out the rest of the fires Mathias had caused. His expression shifted to one full of shame. He couldn't meet her eye. But Lovise met his.

"I'm not apologizing. There's no need for me to apologize," she said. "You-"

"Lou! No!" said Mathias, coughing up a bit of smoke. His voice was hoarse. "I wanna help. But I get it if you wanna be alone."

"No, stay. I mean, you can help." Lovise paused. "But, first, let's get you some water... and maybe get your throat checked out." Both of them walked off from the pier as Peter and Turquoise looked on.

"Hey, we make a pretty great team," said Turquoise. Peter looked over at her.

"You were absolutely no help," Peter told her. Turquoise shrugged.

"... Eh."


	22. Peter and the Peters

**Episode 22: Peter and the Peters**

* * *

Peter was under the water. He was down far deeper than any human could have every go. That was because the mission the Gems took him on today involved an underwater shrine filled with a variety of hourglasses. Peter looked around the shrine.

"Hey! How about this one here?" he said,looking at the smallest hourglass he could see. Pearl walked over to him.

"What one?" she asked.

"This little one…" Peter showed Pearl the hourglass he had found. "It's adorable." Pearl sighed.

"Peter, the legendary glass of time won't be nearly so small and insignificant." Pearl said as she walked over to the next hour glass "It'll be beautiful and grand." She gestured at a medium-sized hourglass. "Like this one!"

"I zhink it's zhis one," said Topaz, looking up at the largest hourglass in the room.

"Whoa!" Peter gasped. He and Pearl joined Topaz.

"You mean the biggest one?" Pearl said, her voice echoing a bit. "How are even supposed to get that back to the Warp Pad?"

"I can carry it," said Topaz, cracking her knuckles. Pearl put her hand on Topaz's shoulder.

"Wait!" she said before Topaz could make her move. "We need to be careful which one we touch, you remember what happened last time we were here."

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"Hey, guys. I'm making the call," said Turquoise from the other side of the room. Peter, Pearl and Topaz looked over to her. Turquoise picked up an hourglass that stuck out at weird angles. "And it's this janky one here!"

"Turquoise!" snapped Pearl. The shrine began to shake. Turquoise looked at her chosen hourglass.

"Ugggh... nope, it wasn't." Water began to leak into the temple, slowly flooding the place.

"Look out!" shouted Topaz. She, Pearl and Peter ran towards the warp pad, dodging their way around the bursts of gushing water. "Ve don't have much time."

"Turquoise, come on!" Pearl called out to the teal Gem. Peter ran from Topaz and Pearl and back towards the hourglasses.

"Peter!" said Topaz.

"Where do you think you're going?!" said Pearl.

"Turquoise gets to keep hers!" Peter told them. Turquoise walked over to the warp pad, carrying her chosen hourglass.

"Damn straight!" she said.

"I'm gonna get the one I picked out." Peter ran towards the tiny hourglass.

"Peter!" shouted Topaz and Pearl. Peter ignored them. He instead picked up the hourglass the moment he reached it.

"My name's Peter," he said to it. "You're gonna live with me!"

"Peter, come on!" said Pearl with urgency.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Peter stuffed the hourglass into his pocket.

The shrine had enough. The glass around it began to crack until it finally shattered. A huge wave of water appeared behind Peter, causing Pearl to panic more than she already was. Topaz shapeshifted her arms, making them longer.

"Hang on!" she said. Topaz's shapeshifted hands grabbed Peter.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!" said Turquoise, starting to panic.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" With aa much speed as she could put into it without harming Peter, Topaz brought Peter back to the warp pad. She wrapped her arms tightly around him as they returned to normal. "Gotcha!"

"Well done Topaz!" said Pearl. The Warp pad activated right as the huge wave engulfed the place.

* * *

Unfortunately, the Gems beat the water.A large amount of it warped back to Heta City with them. The moment they got back, the water spread out. The lower level of Peter's home was soaking wet. The water carried Peter a few feet away from the warp pad. He and the Gems were all dripping wet.

"Woo!" said Peter. "We're doing that again right?" Pearl removed her glasses, shaking the water off of them as she could before she slid them back on.

"Unfortunately," said Pearl, removing seaweed from her hair, "we'll have to wait another hundred years for the sea shrine to reform because somebody couldn't keep their hands to themselves." Turquoise rolled her eyes as Pearl cast a glare in her direction.

"You have a lobster on your butt," Topaz said, trying to untangle a squirming octopus from her unruly mane. Pearl glanced over at Topaz before looking down at her backside. She squealed at the sight of the crustacean clinging to her tunic. Turquoise laughed at Pearl. Peter got up off of the floor and jogged up the his bedroom. He immediately took off his wet clothes, trading them for dry ones. He cast a glance at the clock. He groaned as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"Oh no," said Peter. "I'm gonna be late for Beach-A-Palooza!"

"Beach-a-wah-whooza?" Turquoise asked. Topaz finally managed to pull the octopus from her hair.

"Palooza," she said. Pearl looked at the lobster on her and began to try and pull it off. Peter ran down to the door, tying his shoes back up as he went.

"That was a lot of fun you guys. I'll see you later! After you sir," said Peter. He opened door for a crab as it scuttled out of the house. "Bye bye!" Peter left, the door shutting behind him.

* * *

Peter hummed to himself as he made his way to his dad's clinic. He was overly excited for Beach-A-Palooza that night. Everyone in town would get together for performances on the beach. And Peter was ecstatic to perform that night with his dad.

However, when Peter got to his destination there were some… complications. Tino was stuck in an argument with a man. He was holding a small cat in his arms. There was a car rammed into the front of the clinic.

"Dad! Dad! You're ready to rehearse?" said Peter as he ran up to his dad. "Whoa!"

"Uhhh, we're having a bit of a day," said Tino, turning away from the man and looking down at his son.

"Is it stuck?"

"Yeah."

"What happened?" The person whom the car belonged to started to get mad, if that was even possible.

"Sorry Peter, I don't think I can plan the concert tonight." Tino messed up Peter's hair. "I have to deal with this."

"You're bailing on Beach-a-Palooza? But the whole town's gonna be there!"

"Peter, that's about fifteen people. Next time. I promise." Disappointed, Peter walked away. He jammed his hands into his pockets.

"Stupid car getting all stuck. Nobody likes you, car!" Peter muttered under his breath. "I wish I could've been there to stop it from happening!" He was interrupted as the world began to swirl around him. Peter gave a shouted as everything returned to normal. It didn't appear like anything had happened. That was until Peter looked back at the clinic. There was no car in the front, and his dad was knelt down in front of an animal carrier.

"That's it," said Tino. "You'll be fine." He stood up, but the door remained open.

"What the-?" Peter said before he gasped. He ran forward to his father. "Dad! Dad!"

"Hey Peter!" Tino said, turning to his son. The animal inside-a small cat-started to creep out from the open door. "You excited for tonight?"

"Dad, dad! The cat!" Tino looked down as the cat began to walk out onto the sidewalk. He knelt down, picking it up.

"Nice catch, Peter." Peter smiled, digging his hands down in his pockets again. To his surprise, he felt something inside. Peter pulled the hourglass he took from the underwater shrine out of his pocket. He gasped.

"The thing! You took me back in time, didn't you?" he said to himself. "Pearl's gonna flip when she finds out you're the real one!"

A car came around the corner without warning. It took a swerve into a telephone pole nearby. Tino and his son jumped at the sound of the crash. The car crashed into the pole, knocking it over. It slammed into the roof of the clinic, setting it aflame. Peter fumbled with the hourglass.

"I wish I could go back and stop myself from stopping my dad," Peter said quickly. He warped to when he was about to tell his dad about the cat.

"That's it," said Tino. "You'll be fine." He stood up, but the door remained open.  
Peter 2 warped back from the first wish. "What the-? The second Peter gasped. "Dad! Dad!" Peter tackled his doppelganger before he could say anything, rolling away from view. "Future Peter?"

"Listen two-minutes-ago-Peter, we can't go around trying to change time stuff. It just makes things worse," the First Peter told the second. The two looked back at the clinic. The cat was wandering out in the street just as the car came around the corner. Tino caught sight of the cat and ran out to get it. The driver of the car swerved to avoid hitting Tino, but crashed into the clinic instead.

"Aw, man! I really wanted to play in Beach-a-Palooza," said a disappointed second Peter. "Too bad you and I can't be in a band."

"Wait a minute!" said both Peters. The two put their hands on the hourglass, warping back in time even further to the point where Peter was on his way to see his dad.

"Peter!" said the first and second Peters, stopping the third in his tracks.

"Peter? ... Peter? What's going on?" said the third Peter.

"No time to explain!" said the first.

"Wanna join our band?!" asked the second.

"Yes, but didn't Dad say he would play with us?" the third Peter asked.

"He had an emergency," said the second.

"We should go help him!"

"No! There's nothing we can do! Trust us," the first Peter said.

"Okay... so who's our fourth? We need a drummer."

"Not a problem!" said the second Peter. "Peter."

"Hey it's the time thingy!" All Peters warped back in time to get the fourth Peter.

* * *

After getting their fourth and explaining to the Gems what had happened, all the Peters set up the instruments Peter had stored away. They began their practice.

" _Can't you see it in my eyes?_ " sang the first Peter. " _I'm the one, I'm the—_ ONE,"

"TWO, THREE, FOUR!" added in the second, third, and fourth Peters.

" _I'm not like the other guys_!"" _He's not like anybody, well_ …" counted in the second.

" _That's not completely right. There's a few that I'm just like. Peter and the Peters. We're gonna make you smile. Me, myself, and I, and him are all the same guy. Peter and the Peters Come on, now, don't be shy! Me, myself, and I and him are all the same guy~_."

"Hey! Great singing Peter!" said the second Peter to the first once the song was over.

"Thanks, Peter!" the first said, wrapping the microphone cord around his hand.

"Can I sing lead this time?"

"Well I usually sing lead vocals when I play with Dad."

"So do I!"

"Me too!" said the third Peter.

"Me too too!" added the fourth. "We all do! We're all Peter!"

"Well one of us has got to be the band leader…" The first Peter said.

"Oh! The leader should be the original Peter!"

"The one that's been around the longest!" said all four Peters.

* * *

Peter rummaged around his things before he found a marker. If there were going to be four Peters, there would have to be some clarification on who was who. Peter labeled his counterparts with a number on their faces.

"Done and done!" said the first Peter, Peter 1, as he finished marking his cheeks with the number one. "Peter 2, you're the smart one, Peter 3, you're the funny one and Peter 4, you're the sensitive one and I'm... the handsome one! Okay?"

"Okay!" said Peters 2 and 3.

"Okie-dokie artichokey!" said Peter 4.

"Peter 4, what are you doing?" said Peter 1. "You're not the funny one. Peter 3 is."

"Well we are all the same person so we are equally prone to being hilarious," Peter 3 said.

"No no, that was too smart an observation for you, 3! You're the funny one!"

"Wait which one am I again?" asked Peter 2.

"Dang it, Number 2! You're the smart one!"

"Hey. If Peter is the handsome one, does that mean the rest of us aren't good looking?" said Peter 4.

"No way!" Peter 3 said. "We are all extremely attractive!"

"Let's go get jobs as models!" suggested Peter 2.

"Hey! None of you are the handsome one! I'm the handsome one!" said Peter 1. All three Peters looked sad at this. "No I didn't mean! We decided... urgh, let's take five."

"There's a fifth Peter!?" said the other three Peters.

"No! I mean a five-minute break!" said the first Peter out of irritation. The others laughed.

"We know!" Peter 1 stormed outside of the house. He slammed the door behind him. He sighed, leaning up against the railing on the porch.

"I can't believe it, I'm so... annoying," said Peter 1. "Maybe it's time for me to quit the music business." Electrical guitar noise was played loudly from inside the house. Confused, Peter went back inside the house to see all three Peters playing rock music.

"Whoa whoa whoa! What's all this noise?" asked Peter 1. "I thought we all agreed that Peter and the Peters was going to be a light-hearted throwback to early rock and roll, not this mess of screaming into distortion." The music stopped.

"Look, Peter. Peter and I were talking, and Peter agrees," said Peter 3. "Your attitude... just isn't working for us."

"We've been a lot more productive without you," added Peter 2.

"We already wrote an angsty song about the time you made us feel bad for not being handsome," said Peter 4.

"You're kicking me out of the band?!" Peter 1 exclaimed. "Wait? Who's playing drums?"

"Turquoise said she would do it." Peter 1 looked up at the drummer. Turquoise didn't seem to mind anything on bit from where she sat.

"I'm down for whatever," said Turquoise, twirling a drumstick in her hand.

"Oh, come on!" said Peter 1. The other three Peters began playing again. Tired of being ignored, Peter went over to the power outlet. He unplugged their instruments.

"Whoa, Dude," said Turquoise, resting the drumsticks on top of the drums.

"You can't kick me out of the band! I'm the original Peter. "I created you! Peter and the Peters was my idea! Without me, you'd all be nothing!" Peter gasped "That's it!" Peter began to laugh maniacally as he used the Hourglass.

"Peter, no!" shouted the other Peters.

* * *

Peter 1 went back to the past to tell the first Peter to not start the band. He ran up to his past self, standing between him and his path.

"Don't start the band Peter!" he said. "It will only tear us apart!" Peter 1 froze at the sound of warping behind him. The other three Peters stood behind him and his past self.

"We all have time things!" said the other three Peters.

"You'll never catch me!" Peter 1 time travelled away.

"We gotta stop me!" Peter and the other three Peters travel to another time line leaving the past Peter in shock.

* * *

All four Peters were fighting one another as they jumped all over the timeline. At this point, they didn't even care who saw them.

Peter was pushed away from the conflict at hand when he looked around at their surroundings. He didn't have any memory of this part of his timeline. Peter was pushed towards at rock, taking refuge behind it. He could hear voices. Peter 1 peeked out from his hiding place. There was his future self, the Gems and someone he didn't quite recognize. It was a red Gem, her eyes glassed over to resemble a mirror.

"You three knew I was in there, and you didn't do anything. Did you even wonder who I used to be?!" shouted the red Gem. She raised her hand. Out of the ocean, an arm formed from the water. It moved in accordance with hers. She slammed the water-arm down on the Crystal Gems. She successfully trapped Topaz underneath it. The force of the blow pushed Turquoise and Pearl away from their leader. The future Peter watched in horror from his place next to the red Gem.

"Peter, run!" shouted the future Pearl. She threw her spear at the red Gem, only for it to be deflected by the water.

"What are you doing?" the future Peter asked the red Gem.

Before the past Peter could witness anymore, he was jerked back by his doppelgangers into the fight. He had enough of this. Peter 1 dug into

"Just take me back to the beginning!" said Peter 1.

* * *

The underwater shrine was falling apart. Peter had run away from Topaz and Pearl, and was heading for the hourglass he had chosen moments earlier.

"Turquoise gets to keep hers!" Peter told the Gems when they told him to come back. Turquoise walked over to the warp pad, carrying her chosen hourglass.

"Damn straight!" she said.

"I'm gonna get the one I picked out." Peter ran towards the tiny Hourglass.

"Peter!" shouted Topaz and Pearl. Peter picked up the Hourglass.

"My name's Peter," he said to it. "You're gonna live-!" There was a warping sound. Peter expected that the Gems had left without him, but when he turned around he turned pale. It was another him.

"Stop right there!" said the other Peter. "Give me the time thing, Peter."

"Wait, are you future me?" Peter asked.

"Just hurry up and give it!" Before Peter had a chance to respond, other Peters started appearing and fighting one another. "Don't make me hurt me, Peter."

"Why do you need it so bad?"

"Just give it to me!" The future Peter struggled with his past self for the Hourglass when all other Peters from alternate timelines started appearing. "Give it up, Peter! I know everything you're gonna do, before you do it!" Peter 1 pushed his past self to the ground. He managed to get the Hourglass and laughed maniacally once more. He looked down at his past self. The boy was terrified. Peter 1's laughter died down as he looked at all the other Peters from different timelines fighting each other. He looked at the Gems. They were left stunned at the amount of Peters before them. Turquoise was trying counting all the Peters. Peter realized the chaos he has created just by messing with time.

"STOP IT!" he shouted. All other Peters stopped fighting each other. "Look around you! This isn't right!" Peter extended his hand to his past self. The boy took it, and Peter 1 helped him up. "When Peter fights Peter, who is the winner? What have we become?" All other Peters began to murmur among themselves. "We are not the Peters we once were. And to fix that... I HAVE TO END IT!" Peter 1 took the hourglass from his past self. Without any hesitation, he smashed the hourglass of time. All the other Peters then begin to scream and disappear. The first Peter turned to his past self, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Peter! Dad can't play Beach-a-Palooza with you," said the future Peter, spinning his past self to face him. "The door's open, you gotta find another way!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" said the Past Peter.

"Stay cool forever, Peter." An image flashed into the future Peter's mind. What he saw. What he witnessed happening in the future. He had to get it out before he disappeared. "Wait! In the future, be careful around the the red gem. Beware of the red-!" The future Peter screamed as he disappeared, leaving behind a dumbfounded Peter while water started to flood into the room in the background.

* * *

Peter, confused as to all heck as to what had happened at the shrine, decided to investigate the warning he had received. It was true. He had dragged himself back home. Peter flung himself onto his bed. The Gems watched down below. Topaz draped the towel she had used to dry off her hair around her neck.

"I can't stand seeing him like zhis," she said. She passed the towel to Pearl, who used it to finally clean off her glasses and the residue that had formed on them.

"Neither can I," she said, putting her glasses back on. "I can't think there's anything we can do."

"There is something." Topaz and Pearl both turned to Turquoise. She held up a pair of drumsticks in her hands. The Gems smiled at her. Turquoise grinned as she looked up at Peter.

"Hey, Peter!" she called. Peter rolled over on his bed, sitting up.

"What?" he asked, still sounding disappointed. Turquoise held up the drumsticks in her hands.

"How 'bout we lend you a hand?" Peter couldn't help but cheer up after that.

* * *

Peter performed at Beach-a-Palooza with the Crystal Gems instead of his father, with several residents of Beach City listening to their performance. He was happy. He still got to perform with his family after all.

" _Can't you see it in our eyes_?" Peter sang, dancing around on the stage. _"We're the one, we're the_ — One!"  
"Two!" counted in Topaz.  
"Three!" Pearl added.

"Four!" Turquoise finished off.  
" _We're not like the other guys,_ " Peter continued.  
" _We're not like anybody_!" Turquoise added in the background.  
" _By the way, don't go back in time or you'll destroy yourself. Peter and the Crystal Gems. We're gonna make you smile!_ " The Gems started vocalizing in the background. _"I accidently created an alternate timeline. Peter and the Crystal Gems! Come on, now, don't be shy! I learned to stay true to myself by watching myself die…"_

* * *

Later that night, Topaz, Turquoise and Pearl made their way home. Topaz was carrying a worn out Peter on her back. He was happy, but one thing still rested on his mind.

Topaz's gems were a golden orange. Pearl's gems was somewhat white. Turquoise's gem was teal with brown lines. His own gem was green.

Who exactly was the "red Gem" the other Peter at the shrine referring to?

The thought drifted in and out of Peter's head as he fell asleep on Topaz's shoulder.


	23. Monster Buddies

**Episode 23: Monster Buddies**

* * *

Peter was cold. The climate the Gems had brought him to was covered with ice. It felt like the thick jacket he was wearing barely even did anything. It also didn't Ice help that he had gotten himself cornered by a gem monster.

"I gotcha!" shouted Turquoise from an unknown location. Her whip cracked. It wrapped itself around the monster, and Turquoise pulled. She swung the monster away from Peter. It crashed into the wall.

"Alright everyone!" said Topaz, summoning her gauntlets.

"One more attack should do it," said Pearl. She threw her spear at the monster. It cut cleanly through its arm, causing it to fall off.

"Yikes! Your arm," said a concerned Peter, holding his own arm. Turquoise went over and pulled him off of the ice. Peter watched as Topaz punched the monster, causing it to collapse. The monster became dust. A gem fell from what once was its body. Pearl slid forward. She caught the gem before it hit the ground .She sighed as she stood back up. Pearl quickly bubbled the gem before sending it back to the Temple.

"Now there's nothing standing between us and the Shooting Star," she said. The cave started to shake. Peter lost his grip on the ice, starting to slip. Turquoise grabbed his hands, steadying both of them in the process.

"This job is really dangerous!" Turquoise said. "Whoa!" The ceiling above Turquoise shook. A small bunch of boulders came down towards her. Turquoise pushed Peter back as they came down on top of her. Peter slid into Pearl, who caught him before she could fall.

"We've got to get Peter out of here!" said Pearl to Topaz. Topaz brought Peter over to her, picking him up in her arms.

"I'm sending you back to zhe Temple," Topaz told him.

"But Topaz, how are you gonna…" said Peter, confused He was cut off when Topaz concealed him in an orange bubble "You can bubble me?!"

"Topaz, no!" Pearl yelled out, but it was too late. Topaz had already tapped the bubble again. It warped out of sight, sending Peter back to the Temple. "Topaz!"

"Vatch your head," said Topaz. Boulders came down on top of her and Pearl.

* * *

Back at the temple, Peter had clenched his eyes shut when Topaz sent the bubble to the Temple. Everything had been spinning, making the boy very disoriented. When he was still once again, Peter slowly opened his eyes. He sighed in relief. He was home.

"I'm back inside the temple," Peter said. Floating in a white bubble beside him was the gem monster the Crystal Gems had just defeated. Peter couldn't help but snicker. "Look 'atcha now. Stuck in a bubble." Peter looked around at the bubble encasing him. He had to find a way out. "Let me see if I can…" He dug his fingers into the surface of the bubble. With great difficulty, he managed to create a hole. Peter kept pushing the hole wider until finally, the bubble popped.

Peter fell, forgetting that all of the bubbles were floating in the air. Peter yelped, with his fall being cushioned by another one of the bubbles. It fell with Peter. The force of his weight had popped it. Both Peter and the gem that was trapped inside the bubble hit the ground. Peter sat up as the trapped pink gem rolled away from him. It glowed. Out from it emerged the form of a large-chested woman.

"What's happening?" The woman's form wavered. It seemed to scream as the form changed into something more monstrous. Something monstrous with multiple legs, and an armored back, almost like a snake. Peter recognized it.

"The Centipeetle!" Peter scrambled to his feet. He dashed behind one of the crystal veins in the room. The last time they had met, Peter had electrocuted the Centipeetle. He was hoping it didn't remember that. Peter peaked out from his hiding place. He met what he hoped was the Centipeetle's eye. It paused. The Centipeetle's form shrunk down to Peter's height. It had chosen its form. Peter was right. It was the Centipeetle he had freed. However, it didn't look like the Centipeetle he had defeated. It was scurrying around, trying to find a way out.

"It looks... so scared," he said to himself. Peter crept out from behind the vein. "Uhh, hi. Ah, it's okay. Look, please don't be scared of me. See, I'm not gonna hurt you. Yeah, just relax." Centipeetle walked over to Peter. "Yeah, that's it. Doesn't relaxing feel nice? You wanna come over here and relax with me? Yeah, we can totally just hang out and relax, right here on the floor. Yeah, don't be shy. We can be friends. My name's-"

"Peter!" shouted a voice from behind. Peter spun around to see the Gems, weapons drawn, at the doorway.

"Get away from that thing!" Pearl exclaimed.

"Whoa, dude!" was theonly thing Turquoise could say. Topaz ran in. She attempted to punch it until she had the Centipeetle cornered.

"Wait! It's not-" said Peter, trying to stop Topaz from bubbling Centipeetle again.

"This was a terrible idea!" Pearl said, interrupting Peter. She put her hands on his shoulders. "And he's even managed to pop a bubble, and let out that awful... thing!" The Centipeetle backed away from Topaz as far as it could. Centipeetle was trapped. "If that thing hurt you, so help me I'll-"

"No! It didn't do anything!" Pearl's eyes widened a bit. He pulled away from her. Peter ran in front of Centipeetle, blocking Topaz from hitting it. "Topaz, don't hurt it! I accidentally let it out of its bubble, but it didn't even try to hurt me. It's not like the other monsters, it's just scared and confused. Please Topaz. I'm begging you." There was a pause. Peter looked at Topaz with desperation in his eyes. The Centipeetle hadn't hurt him, and now he had to repay the favor. Turquoise walked over, her whip wrapped around her hand.

"I can't say no to zhat face," sighed Topaz. She de-summoned her gauntlets.

"Excuse me?!" Pearl exclaimed. "You can't be serious!" Topaz ignored Pearl.

"I zhink you should try and help her, Peter."

"Topaz, thank you so much," said Peter. He hugged her. Topaz put a hand Peter's head.

"Shut down by the T-squad!" Turquoise said with a laugh. Pearl shot her a glare.

"Well, let's at least take some precaution," said Pearl.

* * *

With some difficulty since Centipeetle didn't trust the Gems yet, Peter managed to get it outside. Pearl's "precautions" came in the form of chaining Centipeetle to a rock.

"Alright, Peter," said Topaz, securing the chains. "Let's see if you can get her to calm down." Centipeetle was hyperactive, if not more scared, after Topaz had chained her up.

"Um, it…" Peter said before catching himself, as Topaz had called Centipeetle a 'her' instead of an it, "...she still seems a little scared." Centipeetle spat on one of the chains. It sizzled before snapping. The Gems prepared the summon their weapons. Even Lion had crawled out from his hiding place beneath the house to watch. "Maybe you guys could put your weapons away and watch from the house?"

"Absolutely not!" said Pearl. Topaz released her gauntlets.

"Peter can handle it," she said.

"Topaz!?"

"Pearl." Topaz walked away.

You just got Topazed!" said Turquoise, rubbing in the fact that Topaz seemed to be shooting down all of Pearl's ideas today. The Gems walked back to the Temple, Lion following behind to slink back beneath the house. Peter and Centipeetle were alone.

"Okay, friend. It's just us now," said Peter. Centipeetle spst on the rest of the chains. Like before, they sizzled before snapping. Centipeetle shook off the remaining metal from her body. She was stiff and tensed. "Calm, calm, calm. Just like before. Just relax and let your hair down." Centipeetle seemed to become calmer as it crawled over to Peter.

"You wannacome over here?" Centipeetle got a little closer. She ut her head up against Peter's jacket. He could feel something pressing against him. "What's this?" Peter unzipped his jacket. To his surprise, he pulled bag of chips from its confines. He had almost forgotten they had even been in there. Centipeetle tried to grab the bag with her teeth. "You want these?" Peter opened the bag. He took a chip from it. He held it out to Centipeetle, who took a few steps back. "Try it!" Centipeetle walked towards Peter with caution. "That's it! Smells good, right?" Centipeetle sniffed the chip before taking chip out of Peter's hand. She ate it and made a small, happy chirping noise. "I'm glad you like it." Peter withdrew another chip from the bag. The chip blew out of his hand and into Centipeetle's mouth. She ate it gleefully. Peter threw handfuls of chips in air. "Hey, come on!" Centipeetle came over and started eating up the chips. "You love chips, and I love chips! Yeah!" Peter's small victory was interrupted when something sharp scratched his finger. He gave a small shout, almost dropping the chip bag in the process. He looked up as a seagull circled overhead.

"Shoo, get! Those aren't for you!" said Peter, waving his other hand to get the seagull to go away. Centipeetle looked at the seagull, making low chirps. "What are you doing?" Centipeetle spat at the seagull. The acid from her saliva only nicked it, but it was enough to make the seagull fly away. Peter stared at her. "You... saved me."

* * *

Peter couldn't be happier. Centipeetle saving him from the seagull was the exact thing he needed to show the Gems that she was no longer dangerous. Peter and Centipeetle jogged up to the front door. As they entered, Peter caught part of the conversation the Gems were having.

"... But we have to go back for the shooting star!" said Pearl. The Gems were seated at the counter. Turquoise was munching on a sandwich.

"Topaz, Pearl, Turquoise!" said Peter excitedly, interrupting them. The Gems looked over at him and Centipeetle. Pearl stood up.

"Why isn't that thing on the rock?"

"She sorta broke the chains… but I got her to calm down! Look, check this out!" Peter mimicked the squawk of a his word, Centipeetle shot acid at beam. He repeated the noise again, and Centipeetle shot acid at Topaz. Luckily, it missed her. Peter made another seagull noise.

"Peter, you can't just…" Pearl began. She ducked as Centipeetle shot acid at her. The acid landed on a picture, contorting it. Pearl groaned as Turquoise laughed.

"That was awesome…" said Turquoise. Peter made the noise again. The acid knocked Turquoise's sandwich from her hand. It dissolved. "No! Mi torta!" She groaned, flopping her head down on counter.

"Peter, this is unacceptable!" said Pearl, failing at her attempt to remain calm.

"Oh, come on Pearl," said Peter. Centipeetle came up beside him. Peter put a hand on her head, much like Topaz had done with him earlier. "She can help us on like missions and stuff."

"Oh, no! Out of the question!" Peter frowned. He really believed Centipeetle could have helped. "Well we can't return to the Ice Caverns now. We have to deal with Peter and his... situation."

"Well I dunno how we're getting through that cavern without causing a cave-in anyway," said Turquoise. "I still have gravel in my ear." Topaz looked over at Centipeetle. She smirked.

"Zhat's how," said Topaz. She pointed at Centipeetle. Her saliva made sizzling noises while burning another hole into the wooden floor.

* * *

Topaz's idea was simple. In order to get through the Ice Caverns without causing a cave-in, the Crystal Gems were going to use Centipeetle's acidic saliva to melt the ice. They warped to the caverns and began their trek through.

"I just don't know if this will work…" Pearl muttered to Topaz.

"It vill vork," Topaz responded. "Have faith." Under Peter's direction, Centipeetle created a hole through wall.

"Alright, Centipeetle!" said Peter. He threw chips he had stowed away in his pocket as reward for Centipeetle. Pearl sighed.

"Shooting Star, here we come…"

On and on it went. Peter would mimic the sounds of seagulls to get Centipeetle to fire her spit. It would stick to the spot on the wall where it landed, quickly eating away at it. This formed a tunnel the Gems and Peter could get through. Soon, the Gems then went through a cave where the Shooting Star was located.

"Cool!" said Peter in amazement. The walls were glittering like over a thousand stars. Gems walked up to a small pool in the center of the cave.

"There it is! The Shooting Star!" Pearl said. Peeter could see her eyes light up from behind her glasses. "An ancient elemental, so hot, and so volatile, it can only be contained in ice. Bare skin cannot endure its intensity!"

"What do you do with the Shooting Star?" Peter asked, staring at the sparkling item.

"Uhh, you shoot it," said Turquoise. She made it seem like the answer was obvious.

"Topaz, you'll have to use your gauntlets as not to hurt your gem any further," Pearl instructed Topaz. She had her hand on Topaz's shoulder. It was promptly brushed off.

"I know Pearl," Topaz said, sounding a bit irritated. "I'm not stupid."

"Any further?" Peter asked. Topaz looked back at Peter. The scar that was cut across her cheek was glistening in the light of the Shooting Star. Peter got the implication. "Oh…" Topaz summoned her gauntlets. At the sight of the weapons, Centipeetle got scared. She began freaking out "No, no, no! Not now!" Peter rushed over. He put his hands on Topaz's to stop her. She looked back at Centipeetle.

"Somezhing's wrong," said Topaz. Topaz made the move to get closer to Centipeetle. This didn't help. Centipeetle became only more frightened. In an act of fear, Centipeetle began to fire off acid randomly. It struck the ceiling, freeing the stalactites above.. All of the stalactites fell from the ceiling. All of the Gems ducked as they came down near them. One of the stalactites had landed too close to Peter for comfort.

"Peter!" Pearl cried out. She summoned spear. "I knew this would happen!" Pearl ran at Centipeetle. She hit the Centipeetle with the end of her spear, slamming Centipeetle against the wall.

"Pearl, stop! It was an accident!" said Peter, a hand to his cheek. There was a thin cut from the rock he didn't want the Gems to see. He ran over to Centipeetle in an effort to calm her down. This only made matters worse when a ball of Centipeetle's acid missed him by only inches.

"Peter!" shouted Topaz. She kicked Centipeetle away from the boy.

"No!" Peter began to tear up. He didn't want this.

The Centipeetle got back up. Spotting Peter, she tried to run towards him. Her path was blocked by Turquoise, who had her whip out, and Pearl. Turquoise caught Centipeetle with her whip, throwing her against the wall. Centipeetle's hair was standing on end. She was going to attack the Crystal Gems.

"Stop!" shouted Peter. He ran towards her.

"Peter!" Pearl yelled, but the boy didn't listen. He only got closer to Centipeetle. Topaz joined her teammates, prepared to attack Centipeetle if she hurt Peter.

"You don't need to fight! This isn't you! You're not a monster!" Peter cried, inching closer and closer to Centipeetle, "You're more than that. We have so many memories now! Remember the chip times?" Peter was close enough to her. He knelt down to meet her eye. "And how you saved me from that vicious seagull? And how we became friends?" Peter took no hesitation in his next act. He pulled Centipeetle closer to him, wrapping his arms around her body. She didn't fight back. "You have to remember! This all happened today!" Acid fell onto Peter's jacket, burning it and him. Peter winced a bit. He felt Centipeetle calm down. He sighed, pulling away from her. She was okay now.

Suddenly, the stalactites above Centipeetle and Peter shook. They gave away, heading straight down for the boy and the gem monster. Peter tried to summon up his bubble, much like he had done in the past when he was in danger, but something stopped him. Centipeetle had spun around. The lower half of her bug-like body slammed into Peter. The force was enough to push him out of the way of the stalactites. Peter slid over to the Gems, where Topaz caught him.

"No!" Peter shouted. He tried to get to Centipeetle. Topaz held him back in fear of him getting injured. Peter watched in horror as the rocks came down on Centipeetle, piercing through her body. She thrashed around madly, trying to get out. It didn't work. Her eyes soon dimmed. She was gone. Her body turned into dust, leaving only a gem behind.

"No…" Peter said. Tears had started to run down his face. Centipeetle's gem rolled over to him. He picked it up. The gem was cold to the touch. "You saved me."

"Peter…" said Topaz, trying her best to comfort the boy and calm him down. "You did a good job trying to help Centipeetle. Your mozher vould be so proud." Peter looked up at her.

"She would?" Topaz nodded. With a small nod from Pearl, she continued.

"Zhe truth is, Emerald had tried to use her powers to save zhese monsters too, but she vas never able to heal zhem." Peter felt something strike his heart.

"Never? But if she couldn't do it…" He looked down at Centipeetle's gem.

"Who knows?" said Pearl, offering her own solace to Peter, "Maybe when you have better control of your powers, you might help them in ways even your mother couldn't."

"Even zhis one," Topaz added, lifting up Peter's hands.

"I'll keep her safe," said Peter. From Peter's hands, came a translucent green bubble. He stared at it. Peter bubbled the Gem. This was new.

"Whoa!" Turquoise breathed out.

"Peter!" said Pearl, "Youcan bubble Gems!"

"Wow," Peter said in a hushed tone, "Wait for me, Centipeetle. I promise I'll heal you up someday." He tapped the top of the bubble, sending it back to where it used to be. "Wait!" He reached for something in jacket. He took out the bag of chips he still had in his jacket. He bubbled that as well, sending it along with Centipeetle. Peter silently wished that she would be happy where she was now, and that one day-one day in the future-he would be able to help her.


	24. An Indirect Kiss

**Episode 24: An Indirect Kiss**

* * *

Long days with nothing to do but wait were things Peter loathed. So when Turquoise suggested they take a walk up to the top of the cliff the Temple was built into, he jumped on the bandwagon. But now he wasn't so sure. Turquoise was throwing caution to the wind.

"Turquoise, be careful!" said Peter as Turquoise was messing around near the cliff's edge. She was treating it like tightrope.

"Peter, why are you getting so worked up?" asked Turquoise with a laugh. "Why~? Do you care about me or something?"

"Yes…" Peter's voice was dripping with worry.

"Peter, I didn't mean to make you-" Turquoise pretended to fall backwards. Peter actually believed her. "Woah, woah!"

"Turquoise, stop you're gonna fall!"

"Ooh... Peter!" Turquoise said in a singsong manner. She giggled. "I'm gonna fall!" Peter ran closer to Turquoise so in case she did fall, he could grab her.

"Turquoise, you're gonna get hurt!" Turquoise stopped at the end of the cliff, looking back at Peter. Her arms were crossed over her chest.

"Peter, please, I'm a Gem warrior, I'm not gonna fall-" in a moment of irony, the rock underneath Turquoise gave away. Peter reached out to grab her and pull her back up, but ended up missing. Turquoise fell off the cliff. She crashed into a rock protruding from the sand below. Peter winced. "I'm okay!"

* * *

Peter ran down from the cliff. By the time he reached Turquoise, he was exhausted. Peter fell onto the sand, catching his breath.

"TOPAZ!" Peter shouted, hoping the other two Gems could hear him. "PEARL!" Peter stood up as soon as his breathing was no longer forced.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked Turquoise. She was doubled over, a hand over the gem embedded on her chest. Peter had a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, Peter, I'm fine," said Turquoise. Except for this!" Turquoise stood up to show her enlarged eye. Peter jumped back. He hit something solid. Looking up, he saw Topaz and Pearl standing behind him. They got here quicker than he expected.

"Turquoise!" said Pearl, raising her voice. "Show me your gem!" She crossed over to Turquoise. When Pearl went to pull down Turquoise's top so the others could see her gem, Turquoise slapped her hand away.

"Don't touch me! My Gem is my business-" Topaz grabbed Turquoise's wrists with one of her hands. "Hey! Let me go!"

"Stop it," said Topaz sternly. "Ve need to see it." Despite Turquoise struggling against Topaz's hold, Topaz got a hold on her tank top. She pulled it down. Peter pushed his way over to take a look. He had to squint to see the problem. Mixed in and hidden with all the brown lines on her gem, a thick crack ran through Turquoise's gemstone. Turquoise blushed and looked away.

"To zhe stars above, Turquoise!" Topaz said. Pearl stepped forward and gasped.

"Turquoise!" she exclaimed. "Your gem is cracked!"

"Rude!" Turquoise said as she pulled herself away from Topaz. She covered her gem back up. "It's not a big deal! Plus, now I have this cool googly eye."

"How did this even happen?" When Turquoise didn't answer, Pearl looked to Peter.

"She fell off the cliff by the lighthouse," Peter explained.

"Did not!" said Turquoise.

"Of course she did…" Pearl said with a sigh. "How could I have been so blind? We need to put a fence up there, so this will never happen again."

"I'll take care of it later," muttered Topaz.

"What's the problem?" Peter asked. He was confused by Pearl and Topaz's reactions. "Turquoise falls on stuff all the time."

"It'd be fine if it was just her body, but her gem is damaged," said Pearl.

"So, what do you do to fix it?"

"Before…" Pearl sighed. "...we had Emerald." Topaz crouched down to Peter's height, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Peter, your mozher had healing tears zhat flowed from her gem," Topaz explained. "She felt real love for zhose around her. She felt real sorrow vhen zhey vere hurt. You have zhe Emerald gem now. I know zhat power is in you, too." Peter nodded.

"Turquoise, show me your gem!" Turquoise sighed.

"Fine, all right," she said. She pulled down her shirt to show her gem again.

"The power to heal," Peter whispered. He leaned over Turquoise's gem. He strained his body, trying to force himself to cry. After a few minutes, Peter gave up. "It's not working. I guess I'm just too tough to cry."

"Just today, you were crying about snakes," said Pearl.

"They don't have any arms!"

"Ve have no choice," Topaz said. "Ve need to take Turquoise to Emerald's Garden." Turquoise scoffed at the idea, taking measure to cover her gem with her shirt and arms.

"Guys I'm fine, I'm not gonna get any wo-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r... r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r…" Turquoise tried to say. Her entire body stiffened up and shook, as if she were glitching like a computer. With a sudden pop, she returned to normal. "syug yeH! hcaeb eht no gniod uoy era tahW?"

* * *

After having to drag Turquoise (who Peter believed was insisting she was fine, he couldn't really tell) inside, the Gems activated the warp pad. Pearl excitedly was telling Peter about his mother's garden.

"And in the center of the garden- Emerald's Fountain, overflowing with your mother's healing, lacrimal essence!" said Pearl with a dreamy look in her eye as the Gems arrived at their destination.

"I don't see it," said Topaz.

"Wha…" Pearl gasped. The entire garden was an uproar of weeds and thick vines. Everything was overgrown.

"emoh gniog m'I," Turquoise said. She tried to activate the Warp Pad, but the state of her gem forbade her from doing so. Pearl pulled her down off of it.

"Now, now! Let's keep it together! Our memories of Emerald can't be tainted by some overgrown brambles!" She chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Pearl walked over to the bushes, wincing visibly. "Look at them. They're a mess without her guidance. Directionless, pathetic, clinging things. It's going to be okay. Right, Topaz?" Pearl turned to Topaz for reassurance. Topaz glanced among the bushes.

"Sure," said Topaz with a shrug.

"Y-you really think so?" Pearl took a moment. "Maybe there's a path over here!" Pearl led Topaz over and away from Peter and Turquoise. Turquoise sat down on the ground with a huff. Peter sat down beside her. Turquoise glanced over at him. She tapped his shoulder to get his attention.

"yrc ti ekaM... attog uoY... nwo sti no yrC... t'nac ydob rouy fI…" Turquoise tried to say before groaning. The state of her gem was affecting everything. "... yeH!" Turquoise had no other choice. She took her hand and slapped herself across the face. She mimicked the sound of crying, using her fingers to trace over where tears would run on his cheeks.

"Pain can make someone cry?" said Peter. Turquoise nodded her head. "Where is pain?" Peter looked over at the bushes. They were covered with thorns. He got up and headed over to them. He put his hand over his eyes and extended a finger pointing towards a thorn.

The vines suffocating the bushes suddenly lashed out. Peter remained unaware as the vines advanced on him. Turquoise was the only one to see this. She jumped up and ran over. She pulled Peter away from the vines. Both of them fell on the ground just as Pearl and Topaz returned. Pearl was not happy at this sight.

"Turquoise, no more roughhousing, you'll exacerbate your crack!" said Pearl.

"wnok uoy tsuj reteP llik annog era dna efil ot gnimoc era seniv ehT," Turquoise said as she got up. She made the attempt to walk over to Pearl, but fate had other plans. Turquoise was put into reverse against her will. She slammed up into a rock, falling on the ground. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around her gem. Pearl gasped.

"Aw, right in the gem!" Peter said, cringing. The crack on Turquoise's gem grew larger. Turquoise rolled over on her side. She curled up as she began coughing violently. She sounded like she was going to vomit.

"doog m'I, gnihtyna ro yrrow t'noD," she said, catching the terrified look Peter had on his face. Shhe tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but her body began to glitch again. With a small pop, her head switched positions with her foot. She moaned.

"Keep calm," said Pearl, not keeping calm herself, "What we need to do is to get you into the fountain immediately, if we can ever find a way through all this mess!"

Meanwhile, Topaz pulled out a rock from brambles while Pearl was talking. She hushed the white Gem before summoning on of her gauntlets. Topaz punched the rock she pulled free and created a pathway to Emerald's Fountain.

"I needed zhat," she said, allowing her gauntlet to dissipate. "Zhis vay." Pearl chuckled.

"We could've probably gotten in without hurdling a giant rock into Emerald's most precious sanctuary!" she said. "But if you're okay with it, I'm fine, too!" She chuckled again, abiet more nervously. Turquoise used Peter as a balance. They followed after Topaz through the path. Topaz was looking around in all directions. The vines were everywhere.

"Zhis isn't right…" muttered Topaz. At the end of the path was a clearing. In the center stood a marble fountain. "Zhe fountain isn't running."

"What?" said Pearl. "W-what's wrong with it?"

"I'm not sure." Peter pushed past Pearl. He stared up at the fountain. At the top was the statue of a tall woman with long hair and a thick coat. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Is that Mom?" Peter asked. "She looks so…" He felt something tighten up in his chest. It was a highly familiar feeling. "I'm getting emotional! I think it's happening! Uh, I'm really feeling it!" Peter leaned over Turquoise. He was straining to cry while Pearl and Topaz watched. They exchanged a look with each other. Nothing happened. "Ah, come on! I had it!" Pearl sighed.

"Peter, it's fine," she said. "Just— just stay here and watch Turquoise. We'll find out what's wrong with the fountain."

"No, no. Wait! I can still do it!" Fate had the worst timing. At that moment, Turquoise's gemstone crack enlarged. Her body twitched and glitched out again. This time, the damage made Turquoise fall into pieces that are connected by a small lines of skin. Topaz sucked in air through her teeth.

"Let's hurry," she said. She and Pearl started to leave. Peter chased after them.

"Wait, wait! It might still happen!" he said. "Guys?" Topaz and Pearl continued to leave, ignoring Peter. Turquoise rammed into Peter as Topaz and Pearl walked out of sight.

"pleh elttil, hU?" she asked.

"I can't understand you!" Turquoise looked up to him, resting her head against his leg. She looked defeated. "I don't understand anything!" Peter sat down, bringing his knees up to her chest. "Why is everyone acting so strange? Why can't I-" Peter looked at the statue of his mother. "Why can't I cry?!" His voice echoed throughout the garden.

"It's just... I mean, I don't know how to feel about you, but everyone else does," Peter continued, "I wish I could have met you then this place would make me sad, and I could cry healing tears, like you." Peter tensed up when Turquoise began hooting and screaming without warning. Peter quickly put his hand over her mouth. He only removed it

"ay lliw pu reehC?" said Turquoise. He didn't understand her.

Suddenly, vines shot out from behind Emerald's statue. They wrapped themselves on Turquoise's foot and one of her hands. They began constricting her body parts like a snake. Peter ran in the opposite direction to try and get away, only to be blocked off by advancing bushes.

"Turquoise, where's your gem?" he asked the head at his feet. Turquoise used her other hand to point where it was. Bushes advancing in her gems direction. Peter bound towards it. He gathered up Turquoise's body before he threw himself and Turquoise into the empty fountain. The bushes could not reach them. Turquoise's gem cracked even more. Peter's vision started to blur. He couldn't think straight. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat. He was having trouble keeping his breathing steady.

"Turquoise, I'm sorry! I can't do anything right," said Peter, his voice wavering. "Now I'm going to lose you, and it's all my fault." Turquoise glitched again. With difficulty, she used her disembodied hand to hold Peter's

"Ha ha, you care about me," she said, her voice slowed down. She was speaking backwards in an attempt to talk to him without the barrier of her crack getting to the way. Finally, the floodgates let loose. Tears streamed down from Peter's eyes as he wrapped his arms tightly around Turquoise.

"Please let me be a magic healer." Crying, a tear hit Turquoise's gem.

Nothing happened. Turquoise's gem remained cracked.

"Oh, come on!" There was a rumble.

With a loud crash, water poured into the fountain. It washed over Peter and Turquoise before flowing out and all around the garden. The waters washed away the vines, allowing the thorny flowered bushes to breathe.

Peter was forced down into the water. He opened his eyes. For a second, he saw the statue of his mother bend down, offering out a hand to him. He reached out for it.

The moment Peter broke the surface of the water, he gasped, taking in all the air he could. He coughed out a bit of water. He looked back up at the statue. It was as still as it was before.

Peter was forced down back into the water when something jumped on his back. Turquoise messed up Peter's hair. Peter couldn't help but smile. The waters had repaired the crack in Turquoise's gem. She was put back together into one piece.

"Look at this guy, saving my life and junk,"she said joyfully. Peter was relieved that she was speaking normally again. He and Turquoise both laughed as they began splashing around in water. Their celebration was soon joined by Pearl and Topaz returning to the fountain.

"Oh, thank goodness," said Pearl. Peter scrambled to the edge of the fountain to meet them.

"Did you see what I did? It was magic!" Peter said. "My tears brought the fountain back to life and saved Turquoise!" Topaz and Pearl looked at each other.

"I'm pretty sure Topaz and I unplugging the clogged chamber brought the fountain back to life."

"Ve saved Turquoise," Topaz added.

"You don't think my crying was a little related to that?" Peter asked.

"Oh Peter, you don't have healing tears, but while that does mean you won't have any powers that Emerald had like her healing," said Pearl, starting to rant a bit, "which I do admit would be useful in case any one of us had our gems injured in battle and-" Pearl was cut of by Topaz elbowing her in the ribcage.

"Not. Helping," said Topaz in a harsh whisper. Peter looked at Pearl with a horrified expression.

"Oh no." Turquoise trudged forward through the water. She wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulder

"Let's go home!" sais Turquoise, trying to change the subject. "Isn't Wendy comin' over? I'm sure she's waiting for ya!"

"Yeah, I guess…" Peter said with a small sigh.

* * *

It was about an hour before Wendy arrived. She approached the beach house before knocking on the door. Peter was the one who answered. Wendy had a basket in her hand.

"Hey, Peter! I brought a picnic…" said Wendy, as Peter completely ignored her, "for us." Peter walked down the stairs. Lion came out from under the porch. When Peter tripped on the last stair, Lion was there to catch him. Peter laid on Lion's back, unmoving. Turquoise came to the door, leaning up against it. Wendy looked to her. "What's wrong with Peter?"

"He's bummed out because somebody doesn't know when to shut her mouth," said Turquoise. She glared at Pearl, who Wendy could see sitting at the counter.

"You can blame yourself!" Pearl said, "We only went because of you!"

"I'm not the one who made Peter feel bad!" Topaz came to the door as Pearl and Turquoise continued to argue. She knelt down to Wendy's height.

"Vendy, do us a favor?" Topaz asked.

"Uh… sure?" said Wendy. She was a bit confused by the Gems' behavior.

"See if you can cheer Peter up."

"I'll try my best!" Wendy dashed down the steps. She motioned for Lion to follow her. To her surprise, he obeyed.

* * *

Wendy led Lion, and Peter by default, up to the top of the temple's hill, near the lighthouse. After their last mission, the fence was immediately installed. Wendy turned around when she had found the perfect spot.

"Lion, hurry up!" said Wendy. She pulled out the blanket from her basket and set it out. Lion laid down on the blanket. Peter rolled off, cuddling up against Lion as he sat up. It was as if Lion was his security blanket.

"Are you okay?" Wendy asked Peter.

"I'm fine," he said. His gloomy expression told otherwise.

"So he speaks." Wendy got a sandwich from picnic basket. "In all seriousness, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah."

"Here, have one. My dad made them special." She handed him the sandwich from her basket. Peter ate the sandwich slowly.

"Okay, uh... So, um…" said Wendy, looking around, "Is this fence new?" She pointed to the fence.

"Uh, Topaz built it after we got back from our last mission…" Peter answered, "it's kinda a long story."

"Is it a magic story?!"

"Maybe?"

"Well, what happened? Tell me, please." Wendy made her eyes go large. Peter gave in with a sigh.

"Okay, okay. But it's not a happy story," Peter said as he began to tell his tale. "Turquoise was horsing around, by the cliff, and I told her to stop it. She didn't listen to me and started messing around even more and then she fell off. So I ran down there as fast as I could. Turquoise hurt her Gem in the fall because she hit a rock."

"What happened?" Wendy asked him.

"Her eye got all-"

"To Turquoise's gem!"

"Oh." Peter bit down on his lip. "She cracked it. It took a while until she would let Pearl and Topaz see it. Pearl didn't want anything to happen like that again, so that's why there's a fence. The end." Peter chomped down on the sandwich. He wanted to avoid the conversation as much as possible.

"Wait, what happened to Turquoise?" Peter didn't answer. "C'mon! Tell me the rest! What happened?"

"I don't wanna."

"Peter?" Peter looked away. "Peter…" Peter started shaking his head. "Peter!" Peter shook faster and groaned. "Peter, please?"

"Okay, okay…" Peter finally gave in to his friend's wish. Talking about this was starting to make him feel a bit better. However, he did have a request. "But only if you let me try on your glasses."

"Only if you give me the rest of your juice." Peter looked down at the container he had been drinking out of in between his story.

"Okay, but it's mostly backwash."

"Good enough." Peter and Wendy swapped items. Peter put on Wendy's glasses. Everything became a strain on his eyes.

"How do I look?" Wendy squinted her eyes. Peter realized how blind she was.

"I have no idea. Can you continue?" Wendy dug in her basket for a sandwich of her own.

"Well... um... so…" Peter continued, trying to remember where he was in his story, "we were all worried about Turquoise. Topaz said we could heal her using my powers since my mum had healing tears." Wendy paused. She stared at Peter.

"You have magic tears?"

"Not really…" The mood Peter had was starting to go downhill again. "I tired to cry and heal Turquoise but it didn't work and Turquoise started speaking backwards. So, Topaz took us to this garden my mum had. There was a fountain there with healing waters. When we got there, everything was a wreck. Pearl and Topaz went looking for a way to the fountain, leaving me with Turquoise. She told me-"

"I thought she was speaking backwards?"

"She was. She was miming it out. It was hard to understand her so she acted it out, and she told me pain caused tears."

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?!" Wendy sounded incredibly worried.

"No!" Peter said, shaking his head. "I mean… I was going to prick myself with the thorns, but they kinda… came to life."

"Cool."

"Not cool!" Wendy was taken aback by Peter's sudden raise in voice. "They tried to attack me, but Turquoise protected me and she got thrown against a wall and hurt her gem even more! She became a mess of body parts because of me." Peter's voice wavered on the end of his sentence.

"Peter." Wendy put a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"It is…"

"It's…" Wendy remembered what Topaz had told her, "fine. What happened next?"

"Okay, so…" Peter's eyes clamped shut as his head began to pound. "Headache!"  
"So give back my glasses and finish the story!" Wendy held out her hand. Peter tool the glasses off and gave them back.

"Topaz and Pearl came back and made a path to the fountain," Peter continued again as Wendy put on her glasses. "The fountain wasn't running. So, they went to find it and Turquoise got worse. The vines tried again attack us, so I hid Turquoise and me in the fountain. I was so sad, I finally managed to cry."

"That's a good thing right?" Wendy asked. "If your mother had healing powers, shouldn't you?"

"No. Nothing happened. I… I didn't save Turquoise and we were about to die and…" Wendy sniffled. She was tearing up. "Are you okay?" Wendy sniffled again and nodded her head.

"Keep going. I want to hear the end." Peter nodded.

"Suddenly, the spring began to work, which caused a massive overflow of healing water that made the vines go away and everything bloom into flowers and made Turquoise to return to normal. I was so happy because I thought my tears fixed the pool, but no. Pearl told me that she and Topaz were the real reason behind the water flowing again. She said I'll never have any real magic powers, and that they no longer wanted anything to do with me!"

"She didn't really say that, did she?" Wendy asked. Peter shook his head.

"No, but that's what it felt like."

"Is that why you've been so down?" Peter shrugged his shoulders. "Oh. You can have your juice back." Wendy held out the box to him.

"No, that's okay." Peter blinked back something in his eyes. He sighed. "Everyone expects me to be like my mum. What if I never get those powers?"

"Then you'll be like me," said Wendy. She reached forward, wrapping her fingers around Peter's hand. "That's not so bad."

"But if I don't have powers, then I can't hang out with Turquoise or Topaz or Pearl, and I-I can't go on missions!" He gripped at the fabric of his jeans.

"You don't need any powers to be here with me." Wendy took a drink from the box in he hands. She looked at Peter. Wendy leaned forward, only to suddenly recoil. She was wincing and holding her head.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked her.

"I think-" Wendy sighed, "there's just— something wrong with my glasses." Wendy took off her glasses and blinked a few times. She stated at Peter, wide-eyed. "... My eyes. I-I-I can see!"

"What?"

"I can see without my glasses!"

"Did I heal your eyes? But how?" Wendy had only one thing that Peter had touched. They both stared at the juice box Peter gave to Wendy only minutes earlier. Wendy dropped it. Peter gasped. " I don't have healing tears, I have healing spit!" While Peter was estric and over the moon, Wendy was freaking out.

"What am I going to tell my parents?" she said, not looking towards the positives. "What am I going to tell my optometrist?!"

"I don't even know! Oh thank you Wendy!" Peter lunged forward. He wrapped his arms tightly around Wendy, almost knocking her to the ground. When they broke, Wendy's face was blank.

"Lion, let's go tell the Gems, they're never going to believe this!" said Peter to his animal companion. He stood up, racing down the hill with Lion lazily following behind. "TOPAZ! PEARL! TURQUOISE!" As Peter and Lion rushed down the hill, Wendy was left alone. Wendy stood up, staring down at her glasses. She made a choice.

Wendy popped the lens out of her slid them back on.

"WENDY, C'MON!" Peter called out from lower down the hill. Wendy turned to him.

"Coming!" she said. She ran down the hill to join Peter at his side.


	25. Mirror Gem

**Episode 25: Mirror Gem**

* * *

Peter was having a lengthy conversation with Wendy over the phone. Ever since the prior week, he had become invested with the effect his newfound power had on her. That, and he liked having someone to talk to. However, their distance was putting a strain on Peter when he asked her to come over and she declined.

"What? Why not?" he asked, sitting down on the sofa in what could constitute for a living room.

"Peter, I told you, I can't hang out today. I have tennis practice," said Wendy on the other end of the line. "And then we're going out for a family dinner. I can hang out all day tomorrow. I can come over more now that it's fall break." Peter raised an eyebrow, slightly confused.

"What's fall break?"

"You know, when you get off for a few days during school?" Peter flipped his sitting position so that he was lying upside down.

"I've never been to 'school'. The Gems teach me everything I need to know." At this point, Peter's curiosity was getting the best of him. "How does it work?"

"It's a place where you go to learn. It's full of desks, chalkboards…" Wendy paused for a second. "Books, maps."

"I see," Peter said with a small nod. He had gotten an idea.

* * *

After getting all the information he could get out of Wendy, Peter put his idea into had enlisted the one Gem he knew would go along with the idea. Pearl. And he was right. Pearl went for the idea rather quickly.

Pearl assembled all the things that Wendy mentioned to Peter earlier on the floor. Peter looked at the pile, counting off each item in his head. When he was done, there was a satisfied grin on his face.

"Yep, it's all coming together," he said.

"So, how do we begin our 'school'?" asked Pearl. Peter leaned against the locker beside him. His mind was blank. Maybe he hadn't gotten everything he needed to know.

"I... I don't know! This is everything Wendy told me. Why do I never ask follow-up questions?! Who will teach little Peter now!?" Pearl gasped. Peter looked up at her. She seemed a bit happy to hear that.

"Teach you?! Peter! If only I had known that's what you really wanted!" Pearl pulled the air in front of her gem, as if she was summoning her spear. A glowing, white shape emerged. Pearl pulled it out of her Gem. It took form.

What Pearl held was an ornate mirror of made up of gold. The thing Peter found strange about the mirror was fixated to the back of it was a red, teardrop shaped gem. A Y-shaped crack ran through it.

"I found this Gem-powered mirror at the Galaxy Warp," Pearl explained. She got down to Peter's level and held the mirror out in front of them both. "It can capture and display any event it's witnessed in all of Gem history. It'll offer you everything you've ever wanted to know about your fellow Gems and our culture." Peter looked at his reflection in the mirror.

"I must be incredibly important to Gem culture." Pearl scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"It's just you in there. It hasn't even been activated." She cleared her throat. "Show us the Galaxy Warp." The mirror did nothing at Pearl's command "Show us the Galaxy Warp." Pearl became frustrated with the mirror "Oh, come on! I know you've seen it." She sighed, flipping the mirror to look at the cracked gem on the back. It must finally be broken." She sighed again. "What a shame."

"Doesn't seem broken to me!" said Peter. He held out his hands. Pearl gave it to him. It felt cool under his touch.

"Oh well," said Pearl. "I guess that's the end of our school."

"So you could say... School's out for break?"

"Yes," Pearl said with a slight nod. "Good, Peter. There are many ways to say the same thing."

"School's out!" Peter made a dash for the door.

"If you're going out, take your jacket with you!" Peter grabbed his sweatshirt before he flung the door open.

"I will!" Peter ran out of the house. The door closed behind him. Peter ran down the length of the beach and into town. The mirror was tucked under his chin as he obeyed his guardian's wish, sliding the sweatshirt on over his clothes.

"School's out!" He transferred the mirror back to his hand. "Happy fall break, Peter. Happy fall break, Heta City!" Peter said with a small laugh. "Yeah!" Peter jogged up to the convenience store. Lovise and Mathias were folding up tables and chairs. Peter, not paying attention to where he was going, rammed into Mathias, who took a moment to regain his balance before turning on his heel.

"Er, watch where you're going, you little f…" Mathias said. He changed his tone when he saw who is was. "Peter!"

"Sorry!" Peter said, "I'm just so excited for fall break. Are you excited? I love the autumn weather!"

"I think I'm as excited as I can get about putting away things from the summer and college kids coming home," Lovise said. She flipped one of the tables over. "But Mathias has big plans."

"You bet I do! All those university chicks traveling home without their boyfriends, if you know what I mean," he said, sounding excited and pleased with himself. Peter shook his head.

"Nope," he said.

"Maybe I'll get a few numbers. Maybe I'll even... call one."

"Well, yeah, maybe I'll meet a new friend," said Lovise, staring dead at Mathias. "Maybe one who will actually help me with the folding tables instead of fantasizing about women he will never have a chance with."

"Ah, Lovise~."

"That's a great idea," said Peter. "A special new friend to have fun on the beach with. Maybe if I keep using the mirror to guide me, I'll walk backwards into my own beach fun buddy!" Peter began walking backwards, using the mirror as a guide to see where he was going.

"Next time you see me," said Mathias as Peter left, "I'll be on the arm of a hot woman!" Lovise pushed the table front of Mathias.

"I highly doubt that it will happen," Peter heard her say before falling out of earshot.

* * *

Peter was enjoying himself. His little excursion took him to the Boardwalk. A short while after stepping there, Peter started moonwalking on the Boardwalk. He had gotten so caught up in what he was doing, that he lost track of reality.

"Watch where you're going," came the sound of a woman's voice. Peter stopped. He was prepared to look for who had called out to him, but only caught sight of a van coming towards him.

"No!" shouted Peter, paralyzed and not able to get out of the way. Luckily, the tires screeched as the van came to a halt. Mayor Vargas leaned out of the van. Peter lowered his guard.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I don't know," Peter replied with a small shrug. He held the mirror to his chest. "Why were you driving down the boardwalk?"

"I'm the mayor— I'm not going to walk anywhere. Now, go get run over somewhere else." Mayor Vargas got back into his van and began to drive again, Peter out of the way this time.

"What just happened?" Peter muttered to himself. A laugh caught his ears. When he looked around, Peter saw no one. It was only when the laugh sounded again that Peter was able to located where it was coming from. It was coming from the mirror. A laugh came from the mirror.

"You work! This is so cool! I knew Pearl was wrong," Peter said, a bit overexcited. "What's it like being a mirror?" The mirror's reflection changed to a broken image of a young woman. Peter couldn't make out her features. It was distorted and blurred.

"You work!" she repeated.

"So you can repeat stuff?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Peter thought the best course of action would to be to follow to mayor down to the beach.

"Hello, Heta City, my friends! It's great to be here to celebrate the coming season," said Mayor Vargas. "A cool breeze wafts through the air." Peter inhaled deeply before making a fart noise by blowing a raspberry against his hand. The crowd snickered.

"We all look forward to the sounds of the season…" The mirror echoed Peter's noise.

"... the smells of the boardwalk…" PBHT!

"... the wet ocean wind…" PBHT! "... the time to take that pressure that's built up and just let it out." PBHT! The crowd laughed.

"Wow, you picked that up fast," said Peter.

* * *

Peter spent the rest of the day on the had his newfound friend in his lap. Although he couldn't see her, the woman inside the mirror reminded him a lot of the Gems. Even if they could only communicate by her repeating things she had already heard.

As dusk fell, the mirror repeated the noise Peter made earlier. He laughed.

"You got a lot of mileage out of that joke," he said. "You're pretty funny for a mirror."

"You're pretty funny for a mirror," echoed the mirror. Peter laughed under his breath.

"I'm not a mirror."

"You're pretty funny for a - Peter!"

"You made something new! Say something else!" The woman in the glass nodded.

"Peter— is— a new friend."

"Really?" The mirror laughed, giving off a small smile.

"Yeah!"

"You're my friend, too!" The mirror laughed again. Peter could feel the happiness radiating from it.

"I got to go tell the Gems." Peter got up off of the sand.

"No!" shouted the mirror. Peter looked down at the glass.

"Don't be shy, they'll love you."

"No!"

"Don't worry," Peter said, trying to reassure his friend, "they're a good audience."

* * *

Despite the protests from the mirror, Peter went back up to his house. He opened the door, only to find all three Crystal Gems waiting for him. Pearl had her spear in her hands and a neatly arranged pile beside her.

"Guys!" said Peter. "Wait 'till you see…"

"Yo!" said Turquoise. "Peter!"

"Hello, Peter," Pearl said.

"Howdy," added Topaz. "Bang."

"Want to see something hilarious?" Turquoise said. She picked up and moved a stuffed toy towards the pile. Without hesitation, Pearl thrusted her spear through it. Turquoise laughed.

"You don't understand," said Pearl. "Symmetrical means both sides have to be the same!" She put the stuffed toy into a pile of other stabbed things. Peter stared blankly at them.

"Okay, that's great," Peter said. "Anyway, I fixed the mirror!"

"Excellent work, Peter!" Pearl said with a proud smile.

"You didn't tell me it's a person." The Gems' faces drained of all color. Their eyes were wide. Topaz and Turquoise looked from one another and back at Peter.

"Wait. What?"

"Say 'hey'," Peter said. He held out the mirror. Nothing happened. The woman inside did not appear. "... Lil' buddy…" Nothing happened again. "Uh... excuse us." Peter turned around. The mirror was facing him now. "Come on. You want to come out, don't you? You have so much to say and funny noises to share from across the ages. Are we not beach fun buddies?" The woman in the mirror appeared this time. She echoed Peter's fart noise, making the boy laugh. "Just couldn't help yourself, huh?"

"Just for - you - Peter!" said the mirror before repeatedly laughing.

"It's talking to him? It shouldn't be able to do that," Pearl whispered to her other Gems. "I-it should just be following orders…"

"Topaz, do something," said Turquoise, shaking Topaz's shoulder.

"I got it," Topaz said. "Peter." She walked towards him. The mirror cut off its laughter.

"No!" she shrieked. Topaz crouched down to Peter's level.

"You should just give us back zhe mirror. It vill be safer vhere ve can vatch it."

"Yeah, let's bubble it!" suggested Turquoise.

"No!" the mirror cried again. "No!"

"Peter," said Topaz. "Don't make me have to take it from you." She held out her hand. This only made Peter hold the mirror

"She doesn't want to go with you," Peter said. "Don't you hear her screaming?"

"Peter, it's just a mirror, a tool. It can't vant anything." Topaz reached her hand towards the mirror.

"No!" the mirror echoed again. Something inside Peter snapped, almost like a glass shattering.

"She wants to be with me!" he said. Without thought, Peter slapped Topaz's hand away. Due to Peter's action, Topaz's hand slapped her square across the face. The resounding smack made Peter's heart stop. Topaz's visitor hit the floor. Turquoise and Pearl were both astounded and surprised. They looked scared as well.

Topaz looked back at Peter. Anger was seeping into all four of her eyes.

Peter gasped, realizing what he had done. He took a step back before turning on his heel and running out of the house, flinging the door open as he went.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted before the door shut. There was a moment of silence. Topaz picked up her visor and put it back on. As she stood, Topaz's hands clenched up into tightly bound fists

"Zhat little boy is in big trouble " she said. Topaz left the house, chasing after Peter.

"Topaz, wait!" said Pearl. "I'm sure he didn't understand what he was doing!" She and Turquoise followed close behind.

"Fan out," said Topaz as she stepped onto the beach.

In the distance, Peter could hear her. He bad never seen any one of the Gems this mad at him before. Every part of his body was shaking. When Peter could not run anymore, e took refuge behind a rock near the shoreline. He slid down it.

"What am I gonna do? What's their problem with you?" he asked the mirror with a sigh. The woman in the glass was moving her mouth, but no words came out. She was banging on the glass in frustration. "Are you trying to say something?"

"Away from home-" the mirror said, its voice becoming distorted and warped. "Let - Me - Out!"

"I don't understand! What am I supposed to do?" Peter gripped the mirror's sides tightly.

"Peter!" Pearl called out. The Gems were getting closer.

"Come on! I want to help you! What do I have to do?" The woman seemed to calm down. Her image faded, only to be replaced by a distorted image of Peter. He was pulling on the gem attached to the back of the mirror. He was freeing it. He was freeing her.

Peter grabbed the gem with an unsteady hand. He gave it a tug. The gem was fixed tightly against the mirror, but Peter was about to give up now. He gave it another, stronger pull. The gem popped out of the mirror and into Peter's hand. As soon as the gem was free, the mirror's glass shattered into dozens of pieces. The gem in Peter's hand freed itself from the boy's hold. It levitated in the air. Peter had seen this once before. He had seen Pearl do the exact same thing when she regenerated. He came to a realization.

There wasn't a woman trapped inside the mirror. There was a Gem.

A humanoid body made of a pinkish light formed from the gem, keeping the gemstone firmly placed on her back, right in between her shoulder blades. Her physical features exploded from the body. The light mass took on solidity and color. The Gem dropped to the sand. Peter abandoned the mirror. He ran forward. He took in his first clear view of the stranger.

The Gem had red velvet colored hair that was tied back into a ponytail with a string of pink beads. She had a wild curl of hair dangling down at the side of her head. Her skin was a pale pink. She wore a flowing, knee-length dark red skirt, with a downward-facing dark pink triangle. She also wore a backless, dark red halter crop top with an upward-facing dark pink triangle that tied into a red sash ribbon on the back of her shoulders.

The thing that caught Peter the most were her eyes. Her eyes were glazed over. They looked like the mirror she was trapped in.

"Thank you…" said the Gem with a well relieved grin. "You didn't—" She tried to stand up, but her legs shook until they finally gave out from underneath her. Peter caught her before she could fall into the sand again. She kept a firm grip on his arms as she stood again.

"You actually talked to me. You helped me! It's Peter, right?" said the Gem. Peter took a deep breath before nodding. "I'm Coral. Are you really a Crystal Gem?"

"Yeah!" Peter answered.

"But you set me free."

"But—" Peter stopped. He was confused. "Wha…"

"Peter!" shouted Topaz. Coral pulled away from Peter. The Crystal Gems had found him. More importantly, they saw Coral. Topaz and Turquoise summoned their weapons as they approached. Topaz stopped halfway. Her face went pale as she stared at Coral.

"No…" muttered Topaz. "It can't be…

Peter ran in front of them, blocking the Gems' path to Coral.

"Wait!" he said.

"You…" said Coral. Peter gasped. Her voice had taken on a dangerously dark tone. Her eyes were narrowed.

"You three knew I was in there, and you didn't do anything. Did you even wonder who I used to be?!" shouted Coral. She raised her hand. Out of the ocean, an arm formed from the water. It moved in accordance with hers. She slammed the water-arm down on the Crystal Gems. She successfully trapped Topaz underneath it. The force of the blow pushed Turquoise and Pearl away from their leader. Peter watched in horror from his place next to Coral.

"Peter, run!" shouted Pearl. She threw her spear at Coral, only for it to be deflected by the water.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked Coral.

"I'm Coral, and you can't keep me trapped here anymore!" Coral yelled at the Crystal Gems. She turned to Peter, taking his hand. "They're not going to let us leave."

"Leave?" Coral used her other hand, making a pushing motion. She had parted the ocean in half to make a path.

"Peter, come with me," she said to the boy.

"Where?"

"Home."

"B-B-But…" Peter looked back at the Gems. They were his home. They were his family. "B-But I…"

"Fine." Coral sounded bitter. Topaz, grunting with effort, punched the water arm away. She was breathing heavily, but even with that, she ran forward. "Don't trust them, Peter. Goodbye."

Coral stepped into the parted water. The path vanished. A huge wave knocked Peter and Topaz back. Topaz caught Peter before any harm could come to him. The wave pushed them back to the beach. Peter dropped to all fours, coughing and gagging on water. He spat it back out, a long steady stream, onto the sand.

"Be careful around the red gem…" Peter muttered to himself. Those words that he had been so confused about a long while ago were now coming back to haunt him.

"Peter!" cried out Pearl. Peter was pulled away from his thoughts. Pearl, Turquoise and Topaz were all around him now. Pearl wrapped her arms around Peter. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," he replied. Peter stared out at the ocean. "So, that was another Gem?" Pearl sighed, resting her chin on top of Peter's head.

"Yes."

"Peter," said Topaz, pushing back her messy, wet bangs off her visor. Peter broke away from Pearl. "Go get changed, you're soaking vet," Topaz continued. She got up, pushing Peter off of her. "Oh, and Peter?" Peter looked up at Topaz as she walked away. "Ve're talking about zhis in zhe morning."


	26. Ocean Gem

**Episode 26: Ocean Gem**

* * *

Peter was uneasy that entire night. The events with the mirror kept replaying in his mind like a video. It was far too vivid.

That morning, Peter was going to go try and find Coral. He was halfway to the door when he was stopped by the Gems.

"Where do you think you're going?" Peter turned. Standing behind him were Pearl, Topaz and Turquoise. Turquoise had a shovel over her shoulders.

"Uh… to the beach?" Peter said with a level of uncertainty as he lied through his teeth.

"No, you aren't," said Pearl. "Peter, the other Gems and I talked about your behavior last night and about what happened with the mirror. You're grounded." Peter's face went blank.

"I'm... grounded?" Pearl folded her arms over her chest.

"Yes, you're grounded!" she repeated.

"You disobeyed us," said Topaz. "You slapped me in zhe face!"

"And you released a highly dangerous Gem upon the Earth!" Pearl added.

"And now we're gonna bury you 'til you've learned your lesson!" said Turquoise, holding up a shovel she had with her. Peter shook his head.

"That's not how grounding works!" he said. Before the conversation could continue any further, the front door opened. Standing in the doorway was Tino. He was using the doorframe as a way to steady himself. The Gems all turned their attention on him. "Dad?" Tino looked up, breathing heavily.

"Uh, you better come check this out," he said. The Gems exchanged a look with one another. Everyone ran out of the house and onto the front porch. Peter felt his eyes go wide and a pit drop into his stomach.

"The ocean!" he exclaimed. Where there once was a beautiful body of water, there was dried sand. It was like a desert. There was a crowd of Heta City's residents formed in front of the home.

As the Gems, Peter and Tino headed down to beach, they caught sight of Mayor Vargas, who was trying to-and failing to-calm the crowd. From the crowd, Wendy emerged. She ran towards Peter.

"What's going on?" she asked. Peter was interrupted before he could even answer.

"Hey, it's those magical girls!" said Mayor Vargas, approaching the group and cutting Peter off. Their presence had caught his attention. "What's going on here?"

"Zhe ocean is gone, obviously," said Topaz, taking a quick glance at the sea of sand.

"That's right. Now it's just a desert. No one wants to take a vacation to... Desert City! We're gonna lose all our business!" There was an uproar from the crowd. "As mayor, I demand you explain this immediate-" The mayor had been cut off. Topaz had removed her visor. She stared down the crowd with her four-eyed gaze to gain their silence. She sighed as she slid her visor back on.

"It vas Coral."

"Coral?" Peter repeated.

"She's the Gem you released from the mirror," Pearl explained. She projected a hologram of Coral through her gem. The crowd murmured at the sight. Peter stared at the hologram of Coral.

"But she's a Gem, just like us." Pearl sighed, cutting off the projection.

"There's a lot you don't know about Gems, Peter."

* * *

The Crystal Gems, Peter, Tino, Wendy, and even Lion, who had come out from under the house, were inside the Temple, trying to figure out what to do about Coral taking the ocean.

"I didn't expect this to happen," Pearl lamented, running her fingers through one of her twin tails in a worried fashion, "It looked like a normal mirror when I found it."

"Ve know, Pearl," said Topaz across from her. "Ve didn't expect a lot of zhings."  
"How could I have known the Gem contained in that mirror would be so powerful?" said Pearl.

"None of us could. Not even Emerald."

"How are we even going to find her?" Turquoise asked. "In case you haven't noticed, we don't exactly know how to track other Gems."

"Leave zhat to me," said Topaz. Peter couldn't stand listening to this anymore. He got up from where he was sitting and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going, Peter?" Wendy asked. Peter stopped. He looked back. Everyone had their eyes on him.

"I'm leaving to fix what I did to our home. I was the one who set Coral free from the mirror. Now it's my fault the ocean's gone," said Peter. "We were even warned about this! And we ignored it…"

"Dude, are you talking about the Sea Shrine again?" Turquoise said with a groan. She placed a hand to her head. "Ugh, just thinking about that gives me a headache."

"Yes!" said Peter. "And I'm gonna bring the ocean back or get really thirsty trying." There was a small pause. Tino stood up.

"Wait up," he said. "I'm coming with you."

"I want to help, too," added Wendy, hopping off of her chair. "Also, I feel weird being in your house if you're not here." Lion roared. He walked over, putting a paw on Peter's head. Pearl cleared her throat.

"Clearly, we're coming too," she said.

"You're ungrounded, by zhe vay," Topaz told him with a small grin. Turquoise jumped up onto the counter.

"Whoo-hoo! Road trip!" she said with a tone of pure excitement. Peter felt a bit of happiness.

* * *

Tino packed up his van. As soon as everyone was ready to go, the search party headed off into the sea of sand. The Gems were packed into Tino's van, while Lion carried Peter and Wendy on his back. Although, it didn't take long for one of the Gems to bail. Nesr dusk, Topaz had relocated herself to the top of the van.

Night had started to fall. Peter, The Gems, Wendy, Tino and Lion were still on their way to Coral's location. Both Tino and Wendy were asleep at this point. Pearl had taken over driving. Tired of the silence, Peter decided to break it when Lion got up close enough to the van.

"I can't believe Coral would do this," said Peter to no one in particular. "Gems shouldn't fight each other." Pearl avoided his gaze. She stared at Turquoise. Topaz was silent as well. In the end, Pearl sighed.

"We're always fighting Gems, actually," Pearl said. She didn't look at Peter, but he looked over at her with wide eyes.

"What?!"

"Oh, how do I put this?" Pearl hesitated for a moment. "All Gems aren't necessarily... good." Turquoise sat up from her place in the backseat.

"All those monster we fight used to be just like us!" Turquoise said, leaning forward. She rested her arms on the seat. "Right, Pearl?"

"Yes." Pearl's grip on the steering wheel tightened. But they've become corrupted and broken," she continued, "We have to take care of them, subdue them, contain them. It's the best we can do for them, for now. If we don't, then…" Pearl trailed off. "I don't want to think about it.

* * *

It was another two hours before they found Coral and where she was hiding.

There it was. Everyone couldn't help but stare at it.

"That's some magical destiny stuff, right there," said Wendy breathlessly.

"I just had the best idea for an album cover," Tino whispered to himself. Coral had taken the ocean. Before them stood a skyscraping tower made from the Earth's ocean. Pearl, Turquoise and Tino got out of the van as soon as it came to a full stop.

"Zhis is it," Topaz said. She jumped down from the van's roof. "Coral is here." Peter slid down off of Lion, helping down Wendy as soon as he hit the ground.

"I don't understand," said Pearl. "What does she want with the ocean?" Wendy ran up to the water tower, staring up at structure.

"Whoa. Look at all this," she said. "It's - it's just like a giant aquarium." Peter joined her. Wendy was right. Fish and all sorts of aquatic creatures still swam inside the tower.

"You shouldn't be here!" a voice said suddenly. It echoed loudly. From in the tower, Peter could roughly make out Coral among the ocean creatures.

"She sensed us," said Topaz.

"Coral! it's me, Peter!" Peter called out. Coral narrowed her eyes.

"Go away," she said, "before I make you."

"But we're beach buddies!"

"No! You lied to me!" Coral's voice was bitter beyond recognition. "You're one of them. One of the Crystal Gems." Turquoise and Pearl hand their hands on their gems, ready to summon their weapons. Topaz put her hands on their shoulders.

"Easy," she said, doing her best to calm them.

"What do you mean?" Peter asked Coral, ignoring the Crystal Gems. "We're all Gems, right? Just let us help you." Coral turned her gaze away.

"You don't understand," said Coral. "Just leave me alone…" Peter shook his head.

"We're not leaving, Coral. Not until you give us back our ocean!"

"I said…" Coral pushed her arm forward. The water moved in accordance, pushing Peter back. Using her ability, she formed a clone of Peter made from water. "Leave me alone!" Coral, using her command over water, created copies of the Crystal Gems. The Gems summoned their weapons. The water clones summoned weapons made of ice. Wendy raced away from the tower.

"Tino, kids, you stay behind us," Pearl instructed. Her grip on her spear was tight enough to break it. "We'll handle this."

"Got it!" said Tino. He and Wendy took cover behind a large stone. Peter went over to meet them. He and Wendy peeked out enough to watch the fight.

"Stand togezher!" Topaz ordered. "Don't let zhem separate us." In an act of irony, Topaz's water clone attacked her. Topaz found herself slammed up against a nearby rock. She spat something out of her mouth.

"Topaz!" shouted Peter. Topaz and water Topaz engaged in combat, repeatedly trying to hit one another. But each time, the blow was matched. Both Topaz and Water Topaz were matched in strength.

Turquoise was using her whip to grab nearby rocks and sling them at her water clone. Each time, she missed.

"Aw, come on!" she said, frustrated by everything. Her water clone grabbed Turquoise with her own whip. The clone flung her through the air before the teal gem landed roughly on the ground. Turquoise growled. "Well, as long as we're playing fair…" Turquoise broke the water whip. She abandoned her weapon in favor of directly attacking her clone, using hand to hand combat.

Pearl and her clone were as evenly skilled as the Topazes. Pearl eventually gained the upper hand. She sliced her water clone in half cleanly with her spear. Just when Pearl thought she had won, the two halves each created one water Pearl. She sighed and summoned another spear. She had two more enemies to fight.

"I hate fighting me," Pearl said through her teeth.

Peter's water clone was favoring attacking the humans. However, Lion stood between them and it. He used his sonic roar against the water clone. Each time, Water Peter just dodged it.

"Come on, Lion!" said Wendy from behind the stone.

"You can take me!" Peter added in. Water Peter stretched his arms forward and slammed Lion into Tino's van. Wendy and Peter exchanged a look which ended in a nod. "Revenge!"

"Revenge!" They yelled. The two ran out from behind the stone. While Wendy threw rocks at the clone, Peter tried to get a hold of the one weapon he had at his disposal. He tried to summon his shield.

Before Peter could even get it, the Water Peter had enough. It stretched out its arms, pressing its hands to Peter's and Wendy's faces. Its hands turned into bubbles. The bubbles filled with water. It was trying to drown them as the clone suspended them above the ground.

"Kids!" Tino cried out from the safety of the van. Wendy went red in the face. She released her breath. Peter kicked his legs, trying to get free off the bubble.

There was the sound of a resonating gunshot. The water clone becomes a puddle long enough to free Wendy and Peter. They dropped to the ground in a fit of coughing and gagging.

"Get your hands off my son!" said Tino.

"Wendy!" said Peter when he found his breath again.

"I'm okay…" Wendy said, reassuring him. "I'm…" She coughed up a bit more water. Peter looked back at his father. He held a rifle in his hands, which was quickly abandoned in the van.

"Dad, why do you have that?" Peter asked his father.

"It's a long story you'll hopefully never need to know," said Tino. He knelt down by his son, keeping a hand on each of the children's backs. "But Peter, is this a _normal_ magical mission for you? 'Cause I'm not so sure how comfortable I am with you going on these any-more!" The water Peter had reformed. It took action against the one who had destroyed it in the first place. The water Peter stretched out its arms, picking up the van with its massive hands. It threw the van at Tino. It slammed into him, forcing him back. When the van finally stopped, Tino was pinned underneath it.

"Dad!" Peter and Wendy ran over to him. Peter tried to force the van off, but his strength wasn't enough. He crouched down beside his dad. "Dad! Dad! Are you okay?"

"I think something's broken…" Tino groaned. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." Tino was lying. An obvious expression of hidden pain was on his face. His breathing was pained.

Peter stood up. He stared down his water clone.

"Coral, I don't want to fight anymore," he shouted, hoping the one controlling the water could here him. The water Peter summoned a spinning ball of water. It hurled the ball at the real Peter. Peter felt something rise inside of him. Everything. He didn't want to fight. He didn't want to watch his family and friends get hurt anymore. He wanted to protect them from all that could harm them.

"I said, 'I don't want to fight'!" Peter shouted. His gem glowed brightly from under his shirt. A green disc appeared in front of Peter. His mother's gem was embellished on the front, surrounded by a spiral of thorns.

After trying in combat for so long, Peter had finally managed to summon his mother's shield once again.

The water ball struck the shield. The impact caused a vibration that reverberated through the water. Coral's hands covered her ears. The sound was at a higher frequency thought the water.

Without their master to control them, the water clones disintegrated into puddles. There was silence as Peter walked forward to the tower. He let go of his shield. It disappeared before it hit the ground

"Peter?" said Wendy in a barely audible whisper.

"Coral, I want to talk with you," Peter told the Gem in the Water Tower. Coral looked at him, slowly lowering her hands. "...Please don't drown me."

"Wait, Peter!"

Peter jumped into the water tower. Coral stared at him for a moment. She formed two hands from the water, using them to raise both her and Peter to the top of the tower.

Peter gasped for air as soon as they reached the top. His body encased in a bubble that Coral was suspending in the air. Peter looked around. They were in Earth's atmosphere. He could see the stars as clear as day.

"Coral?" he said when the red Gem didn't speak.

"What are you doing here, Peter?" said Coral.

"What? I - No! What are you doing here? This thing, the ocean, this is crazy! Can't we work this out? We Gems should be friends." Coral pulled the bubble that he's in forward to her.

"Don't you know anything, Peter? Your friends, they don't really care about other Gems." Peter felt Coral's words stabbing at everything he believed in. "All they care about is the Earth. But I never believed in this place…" She looked up towards the stars, the planets and meteors whizzing by. Peter was released from the bubble as Coral became more and more distracted, not able to hold the bubble anymore. She sat down at the edge of the tower.

"What?" Peter asked. He sat down next to Coral.

"I just want to go home…" She stared at the space with an intense longing in her eyes.

"I know how important home can be. But that's why I'm here. You took the ocean away, and the ocean is an important part of my home." Coral sighed.

"I'm only using the ocean because my gem is cracked. If I just stretch it far enough…" Coral sighed again. She shook her head. "This is never going to work." Peter leaned back. He stared at Coral's gem and the unnatural crack that ran through it. He wanted to touch it. At the mention of her crack, words echoed in Peter's mind.

* * *

 _Your mozher had healing tears zhat flowed from her gem," Topaz explained. "She felt real love for zhose around her. She felt real sorrow vhen zhey vere hurt. You have zhe Emerald gem now. I know zhat power is in you, too._

 _I don't have healing tears, I have healing spit!_

* * *

Peter finally realized one more thing he could do to help Coral.

"I can fix your gem!" he said, sitting up. "I have healing powers!" Coral gave him a blank stare.

"You have healing powers?" she repeated. Peter nodded.

"I know, right?"

"Oh, what should I…" Coral turned so that her back was facing Peter. She pulled her ponytail out of the way so he could get to her gem.

"Oh, uh, sorry. This might be a little weird."

"What?" Peter licked his hand. With determination, he pressed the spit-covered hand onto Coral's back. Coral shuddered. Peter pulled his hand away.

Coral's gem glowed. Bit by bit, her gem started to fill in where the crack was until finally, there was no sign that Coral's gem had ever been damaged.

Coral stood up. Peter followed her movement, standing back. From Coral's gem sprouted a pair of pink-tinted wings made of water. Coral squealed with delight. She spun on her toes. She looked at Peter with a grin that could rival the sun. Peter looked at her eyes. They had become a normal red color.

"Thank you, Peter!" said Coral, tackling him in an embrace. She pulled away, standing up straight once again.

"No prob, Bob," Peter replied, wiping his spit-covered hand on his pants.

"...It's Coral."

"Yeah," Peter said awkwardly.

"Okay. Bye." Coral flew off into space, leaving water droplets behind. Peter waved to her goodbye. The tower shook underneath Peter's feet.

Without Coral to support it, the tower had begun to reform into Earth's ocean. The stable foundation underneath Peter gave away. He fell with the water.

As Peter began to see the ground, a white portal opened up next to him. From it emerged Lion and Wendy, who had a look of desperation on her face.

"Grab my hand!" Wendy shouted. She extended out her hand. Peter stretched out his hand. Their hands finally met. Peter's grip was "Gotcha!" Peter, Wendy, and Lion teleported back down to the ground. The Gems and Tino were already in the now upright van.

"Peter!" Peter heard his father shout Peter threw up his arms. A green bubble formed around all of them. The water came crashing down on top of the bubble. The force of the waves pushed the bubble.

When everything had come to a standstill, Peter un-bubbled it. They were back on Hrta City's beach. The Gems got out of the van. With proud looks on their faces, they embraced Peter.

"That's how you do it!" said Turquoise.

"Look!" Wendy said, pointing at the beach. The embrace broke. There was a crowd of citizens cheering and laughing as the ocean rolled back into the shore.

Peter's happiness came to a halt when his father fell out of the broken van. He was having trouble standing.

"Dad!"

* * *

Peter was sitting in the middle of a hospital waiting room. Tino had been brought there after they had returned to Heta City. He had his knees up to his chest. He was quiet. The Gems were beside him. Peter had refused to leave until he knew if his father was alright or not. There was an awkward silence, with the exception of Turquoise snoring. Peter had his eyes out the window.

"So, Coral made it off planet," Peter heard Topaz say to Pearl. They didn't think he was listening.

"What does this mean for us?" Pearl asked her. Topaz just shrugged.

"Ve vait and see." Peter looked out the window, gazing into space and the stars shining above.

"See you, Coral," he whispered. "Wherever you are."

* * *

 **Since we hit the halfway mark for season 1, I have the cast list for everyone revealed so far in case anyone has become confused over who in Hetalia is which cahracter in Steven Universe. So, for reference:**

 **Steven Universe: Peter Väinämöinen (Peter Kirkland/Sealand)**

 **Garnet: Topaz (Julchen Beilschmidt/Nyo!Prussia)**

 **Amethyst: Turquoise (Amelia F. Jones/Nyo!America)**

 **Pearl: Pearl (Alice Kirkland/Nyo!England)**

 **Greg Universe: Tino Väinämöinen (Finland)**

 **Connie Maheswaran: Wendy Kirkland (Wy)**

 **Lars: Mathias Køhler (Denmark)**

 **Sadie Miller: Lovise Bondevik (Nyo!Norway)**

 **Jennifer "Jenny" Pizza: Mei Xiao (Taiwan)**

 **Kiki Pizza: Lien Chung (Vietnam)**

 **Kofi Pizza: Yao Wang (China)**

 **Nanefua Pizza: Yong Soo Im (South Korea)**

 **Sour Cream: Vladimir Ludmila (Romania)**

 **Onion: Aurel Ludmila (Moldova)**

 **Mr. Fryman: Allister Kirkland (Scotland)**

 **Peedee Fryman: Cole Kirkland (Wales)**

 **Ronaldo Fryman: Patrick Kirkland (Northern Ireland)**

 **Mayor Dewey: Romulus Vargas (Rome)**

 **Buck Dewey: Lovino Vargas (Romano/South Italy)**

 **Jamie: Marcello Vargas (Seborga)**

 **Mr. Smiley: Emil Stelisson (Iceland)**

 **Lapis Lazuli: Coral (Feliciana Vargas/Nyo!Italy/Nyo!Venziano/Nyo!North Italy) ((She has way too many names))**

 **Centipeetle: Morganite (Katyusha Braginskaya/Ukraine)**

* * *

 **Fusions:**

 **Opal: Larimar (Turquoise + Pearl)**

 **Sugilite: Howlite (Turquoise + ? + ?)**


	27. House Guest

**Episode 27: House Guest**

* * *

Days had gone by since what Peter had started to call "the ocean incident". Life in Heta City was gradually starting to return to normal. Almost.

With influence from Peter, the Crystal Gems made the decision to give Tino a hand until he was well enough to get back on his feet. The first thing they had to do was repair the damage Coral's water clones had done to his van.

Pearl was picking around at the engine.

"Those water constructs really did a number on Tino's van," she said with a small hum. Turquoise was sitting while leaning beside the clinic's building, crossing her arms behind her head. Topaz was beside her.

"Give it a rest, Pearl," she said. "That thing will be busted forever." Pearl pulled her head out of the machine, looking over at Turquoise.

"I completely disagree. It's just a simple human machine. I'm sure that I can figure this whole thing out before you know it!" The door to the clinic opened. Peter held the door open so that his father could come out as well. Tino was using a wheeled office chair as a makeshift wheelchair. A pair of crutches were in his hands and a tool box on his lap.

Tino looked the worse for wear. There was a bulk under his shirt due to the tight brace around it. His left leg was bound in a cast.

"Hey guys!" said Peter as he and Tino made their way over to the Gems. Tino looked through the tool box, giving the crutches to Peter.

"I got something that will patch this van up!" he said. Pearl looked over at him with a spark in her eyes.

"Is it some kind of complex human tool?" she asked. Tino showed her a roll of duct tape he took out.

"Yup, high-quality duct tape!" Pearl's face fell. "Some well placed duct tape can patch anything up in a pinch."

"I'm sure that I can fix this without your tape," Pearl said, sounding a bit bitter.

"Well, at least let me give you a hand." Tino took the crutches from Peter. He tried to stand up to help Pearl. A look of pain crossed his face before he dropped back down in the chair. He put a hand on his chest. Peter ran over to him to help him. He was worried.

"I'm sorry that you got hurt and that your van got smashed up because of me," he said. Tino patted the boy's head, messing up his hair.

"You apologize too much," he said. "Maybe I shouldn't have tagged along in that crazy adventure, but at least I got to spend some time with you. And besides, it's not that bad."

"You needed several stitches, and the doctor said you fractured three of your ribs as well as your leg," said Pearl, turning back to observing the engine. "Severely."

"Just a scratch." Peter got an idea in his head.

"What if you stayed with us until you got better?" Peter suggested. Tino turned his attention to him.

"But won't I get in the way of your training?"

"Yes!" Pearl said quickly, snapping back up and hitting her head against the open lid of the front half of the van. Turquoise sat up, looking over at Peter.

"Wait, Peter," she said. "Don't you have healing powers now?"

"Oh, right, yes!" Pearl said with a nervous smile as she rubbed the top of her head. Luckily, the lid barely missed her gem. "You fix Tino, I'll fix the van, nobody has to live with us."

"Here goes something new and exciting," said Peter. He licked his hand, covering it in his healing saliva. Peter slapped his hands onto the opened area Tino's chest from where his short wouldn't close. "Okay, you should be better now."

"Okay, if you say so," said Tino. He stood up, leaving the crutches behind. He looked pained once again, and dropped back down in the chair. Peter just stared, confused and a bit worried.

"Why didn't it work?" he asked nobody in particular. Tino placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, sorry, Peter. Maybe you just need a little more practice."

"But I was doing so well before!"

"Peter, don't worry about it," said Pearl, closings the van lid. "Your powers are a bit fickle, after all because you're half-human."

"Just give it a bit more time," Topaz chimed in.

"Cheer up, Peter!" added Tino. "At least now we get to spend some more time together, right?" Peter forced a smile.

"Yeah, right," he said.

"Topaz, can you give me a hand?" Pearl asked. Topaz nodded. She walked over and, with incredible ease, lifted Tino's van up. There was a thud as the engine block fell out of it. This was going to take a long time to repair.

* * *

Within the next week, Peter was spending more and more time with his dad. It was the most time they had spent together since Peter began living with the Gems.

Peter, Tino, and Turquoise were making paper airplanes in the living room. The things they could do were limited by Tino's condition.

"Bombs away!" said Turquoise before throwing her paper airplane in the air. It bounced off of Tino's head before floating to the floor. The three laughed.

Their laughter died down when Pearl walked in. She was covered in motor oil from the work she was doing to Tink's van. Pearl crossed over the the kitchen, dropping a toolbox near the door as she went. Pearl turned the faucet on from a brief moment to clean off her glasses. She snatched a towel from the counter, wiping the oil off herself. Just as Pearl was finished, Topaz exited the Temple from her room.

"You're back," she said to Pearl. "Zhe Geode is cracked, ve must leave immediately." Pearl dropped the towel on the floor.

"What?" said Pearl.

"Oh, no," Turquoise muttered. She quickly got up and ran towards Warp Lad. The other Gems soon met her there. The Warp Pad didn't activate. Topaz motioned for Peter to come to them.

"You too, Peter," said Topaz. Peter stood up, a look of excitement on his face.

"Really?" Tino asked Topaz. She nodded. Peter's excitement diminished. He needed to take care of his dad. Tino couldn't do much on his own in this state.

"Oh, yeah," said Peter, disappointed.

"It's okay, Peter, I'll be fine," said Tino, waving his son off. "You go on your mission."

"Are you sure?" Peter asked him.

"Of course." Peter grinned.

"Thanks Dad! We'll be back before you know it!" Peter ran onto the Warp Pad with the Gems.

"Don't worry about me. I'm not getting any more broken. If I need something, I'll just... crawl. My arms are still not broken." Topaz and Pearl exchanged a look.

"Oh, brother," said Turquoise under her breath. With a roll of her eyes, Pearl produced something from her gem. A crystalline whistle.

"Now, Tino, there's no need to be so pathetic," said Pearl. She stepped off the Warp Pad, walking towards him. "If anything happens to you, you can call us with this." Pearl placed the whistle firmly in Tino's hand. She made her way back to the Warp Pad.

"What is it?" Tino asked, flipping the whistle around in his palm.

"It's a Varp Vhistle," Topaz explained. "If you blow in it, zhe varp pad vill activate and vill alert us zhat ve need to return."

"See, Dad?" said Peter. "You'll be fine."

"Right, I'll be fine," Tino said with a sigh. "Good luck on your mission." Peter waved goodbye to his father before the Warp Pad activated, blocking his view with the stream.

* * *

The warp stream deposited the Gems in the middle of a forming storm. Dark gray clouds swirled overhead. Peter followed the Gems, staring in awe at where they were.

In the middle of a large crater was a giant, black, dome-shaped rock was embedded. There was a crack on the dome. Peter could see inside of it. There were a massive amount of lightning and energy surging.

"Man, this place is janked up," said Turquoise. She slid down the bottom of the crater, followed by Topaz and Pearl. Peter attempted to gracefully glide along the dirt like they had done, but ended up rolling down when he couldn't get a stable footing.

"Was there an explosion or something?" Peter asked when he reached the bottom. Turquoise pulled him up with one hand. Topaz walked ahead.

"Almost," she said. The Gems crowded around the crack in the Geode.

"What you're looking at is a synthetic storm that was contained in—" Pearl said before a shrill, sharp whistle cut her off. Behind the Gems, the Warp Pad had activated.

"Is that the Warp Whistle?" Turquoise asked.

"Dad needs me," said Peter, "I'll be right back!" Peter ran back up the crater and into the Warp Pad's stream. He was taken back to the house.

"Dad! I'm here!" Peter called out once the stream disappeared. "Is everything...?" Peter was immensely confused. His father was just sitting on the sofa, whistle in hand.

"Oh hey, Peter!" said Tino. "Just making sure that this thing actually works."

"Okay, we'll be back later!" The stream of the Warp Pad activated again when Tino blew the whistle. Peter was transported back to the Geode. He ran back to the Gems.

"Sorry for the holdup!" he said.

"Is everything okay?" Pearl asked.

"Hey, did Tino fall down and break his butt?" Turquoise said with a snicker.

"Zhat's not funny," said Topaz. Turquoise sighed.

"I know." Peter shook his head. Pearl cleared her throat.

"Like I was saying, this is a synthetic—" Pearl said. The activation of the Warp Pad cut her off.

"I'm sure it's very important," said Peter. He went to the Warp Pad, going back to the Temple. "Dad?"

"I'm really sorry, but where's the remote?" Tino asked, scratching the back of his head. He hadn't moved from his placement on the couch. Peter took a moment.

"That's… actually a very important question."

* * *

Peter helped his father as quick as he could. He warped back to the Geode, hurriedly joining the Gems.

"It was very important," he told them before they asked any questions. Pearl cleared her throat to get Peter's attention.

"Okay," Pearl said, happy to finally get to finish her explanation, "so if the Geode breaks, then the storm will be unleashed and our bodies will be vaporized."

"Then we'd be dead," Peter finished. Pearl nodded.

"Zhat's vhere you come in," Topaz said to Peter. She got down on his level. Peter gave her a confused look.

"Say what?"

"You should try and seal zhat crack vith your healing powers." Peter glanced from each of the Gems' faces to the Geode crack. He felt his throat go dry.

"But what if I can't do it?" He couldn't heal his own father. What would make the Gems think he could do this?

"It von't hurt to try," Topaz said with a shrug. Peter nodded as she stood back up.

"Okay." Peter walked toward the Geode. He licked one of his hands and placed it near the crack. Peter's healing ability almost always took effect immediately. But when Peter's saliva touched the Geode, nothing happened. Peter started to panic. "It's not working!" Peter took his hand away from the cracked Geode. He groaned. "I knew this would happen. Just when I thought I was getting better."

"Don't beat yourself up, Peter," said Topaz.

"Yeah, don't worry about it!" added Turquoise.

"We'll find another way!" said Pearl. They were all crowded around him. Peter shook his head, pushing them away.

"You don't understand," said Peter. "How am I supposed to call myself a Crystal Gem, if I can't even—" Peter was cut off this time when the Warp Pad activated.

* * *

Unable to fix the Geode with their plan, all four of the Crystal Gems decided to return to the Temple.

When the stream disappeared, Peter saw that his dad lying on the sofa.

"Dad! Dad! Are you okay?" Peter almost shouted. He went over to where Tino was. "Answer me!" It took Peter only a few seconds to realize that his dad was asleep. Not thinking, Peter shook his shoulder to wake him up. Tino rolled over, looking at Peter. The whistle was lying around his neck. "Dad, you're only supposed to use the Warp Whistle for emergencies. Like if you fell down and broke your butt!"

"Yeah, sorry about that," said his father. Tino sat up. "I guess I fell asleep with it in my mouth." He held to whistle in his hands. Peter sighed.

"It's okay."

"Uh… Since you're here, mind grabbing me a snack from town?" Tino asked.

"Yeah, sure thing." Peter looked over at the Gems. They were waiting patiently on the Warp Pad. "I'll be right back." Topaz gave Peter a short nod. She turned around and activated her door into the Temple.

"Ve'll be in the temple," said Topaz.

"We have to come up with another plan, quick," Peter heard Pearl say before she and Topaz disappeared inside the room.

"Yo, dude, no worries about earlier," Turquoise said to Peter, lagging behind. "You'll get a hold of your powers before ya know it!"

"Thanks, Turquoise!" Peter said with a small smile.

"Hey, can you get me a croissant?" Peter nodded. He went out the front door, running through the list of what he was supposed to get from town in his head. That's when he realized something.

"I forgot to ask Dad what he wants." Peter walked back inside. "Hey, Dad, I—" Peter went stiff. Something was going off in his head the moment he saw Tino at the fridge, carrying out food. He was standing perfectly fine. He didn't looked pained at all.

"Peter!" Tino exclaimed, dropping all the food he was carrying. The loud clatter rang on Peter's ears. "You had me scared there. Didn't see you standing in the doorway." Peter felt something hit him like an arrow to the heart. Tino's usually bright demeanor fell.

"Your leg isn't broken at all, is it?" said Peter. "None of your bones are!"

"They were broken," Tino sighed, "but you healed them back at the clinic." Peter felt nothing but betrayal.

"You lied to me! Now I can't do it anymore!" Tino looked at him, eyes wide.

"What?"

"The Gems needed me to fix the broken rock, but my healing powers aren't working. It-it's because of you, you messed with my head!" Peter could feel his father's pain just by looking at him.

"No! I didn't mean to. I just wanted to live with my son again!" Peter ignored Tino entirely.

"I really thought I was getting better, I finally felt like a Crystal Gem. Now, what if I can't do anything?"

"Peter, don't beat yourself up! This is my fault!"

"Yeah! Yeah it is!" Peter ran outside. The door slammed behind him. He sat down on the porch. He watched the waves roll in and out of the shore.

"What am I going to do? My powers, they're—" Peter muttered to himself. The conversation echoed through his head. He sighed. It wasn't like he didn't want the same thing. Peter and Tino used to be so close. That was before Peter started living with the Gens, working on his own abilities. All the time, he never realized how his dad might have felt. Peter stood up. He knew what he had to do. He walked back inside.

"I'm sorry, I…" Peter stopped. "Dad!" Tino was on the warp pad. The crystal whistle in one hand, and the toolbox was in the other.

"It's time for me to fix the trouble I've caused," Tino said as firm as he could. He blew into the whistle. With a shrill cry, the whistle activated the Warp pad. The moment the stream began, Peter ran forward. He jumped into the Warp Pad's stream before it could disappear.

Tino had taken them to the Geode.

Peter saw his father getting closer to it. He slid down the crater, racing to catch up with him. Wind was blowing harshly without a sign of letting up. Peter had trouble fighting against it.

"Dad, be careful!" called out Peter.

"Don't worry, Peter! I'm going to-!" Tino said before the winds pushed him off of his balance. He hit the dirt. Peter finally caught up to his dad. He tried to help his dad up.

"Dad! Are you okay?" Tino stood up, brushing off Peter's help.

"Peter, get out of here!" he said. "I'm responsible for this!" Peter shook his head.

"No, you're not."

"I was the one who messed up your powers! I did everything I'm not supposed to do, and now you can't heal!"

"I healed you, right?" The following warm smile from his father was all Peter needed to let him know that things were okay.

"Hey, get in there and patch things up, just like you patched up me!" Peter nodded. He ran toward the Geode. He put a hand on it to keep himself from getting blown over. He licked his free hand. He slammed it down on the Geode. But Peter's healing saliva did nothing. The crack on the Geode did seal up. Peter started to panic.

"It's still not working!" Tino fought against to wind until he was beside Peter.

"Forget it! I've got another idea!" Tino took a roll of duct tape out of the toolbox. With Peter's help, the pair managed to seal up the crack of the Geode with the tape. The violent windstorm around them died down as soon as the tape was in place. "There, see, as good as new!"

* * *

Another few days passed by without any problem. The tape on the Geode surprisingly held. This gave Pearl time to finish her repairs on Tino's van.

All four Crystal Gems and Tino were on the beach. Pearl was leaning up against the van, a clipboard in her hands. Tino was in amazement. He was looking over in awe at the fixed van.

"No way," Tino said breathlessly.

"So, I've realigned the axles…" Pearl said, reading off the list she made that was attached to the clipboard.

"I can't believe it!"

"Replaced the spark plugs…"

"It's never looked this good!"

"Sealed the leaks in the intake manifold gaskets, and recalibrated the timing belt. As long as you ease up on second gear, your transmission should be fine."

"Pearl! I can't thank you enough!" Tino hugged Pearl tight enough to lift her off the ground. Shocked, and a bit disgusted, Pearl kicked at the sand. When Tino dropped her, she went over behind Topaz quicker than a rabbit.

"So, now that I'm feeling better, it's about time that I move back home," said Rino to the Gems. "Can't have me messing up more magic stuff." Before Tino could get into the van, Peter walked over and hugged him. Tino laughed. "Just in case you have trouble again…" Tino went to the back of the van and produced a roll a duct tape. He handed over to Peter. Before Tino could leave, Peter caught him by the hand.

"Dad?" Peter asked. "Can you stay one more night?" Tino's grin gave Peter his answer before it could even be spoken.

"I can."


	28. Space Race

**Episode 28: Space Race**

* * *

The Gems took Peter to the infamous Galaxy Warp. Peter had not been told what they were doing there. All he knew about it was the things Pearl had told him weeks prior.

The moment he saw it, Peter was amazed. He was amazed at the fact that the Galaxy Warp didn't look like anything special at all. The Galaxy Warp was located atop a large plateau, surrounded by the ocean and numerous smaller islands. The system consisted of numerous Warp Pads of varying sizes. Six massive crystalline rock formations surrounded the perimeter of the summit. Sixteen individual Warp Pads were arranged in a crop circle-like pattern on the highland.

Topaz walked over to a Warp Pad and stood on top of it. She stared down at it.

"Inactive," she said. "Peter? Do you have what I told you to bring?" Peter nodded. Before they had come, Topaz had told Peter to grab a sheet of small, golden star stickers. Peter had been a bit curious about this. Topaz pointed down at the Warp Pad. "Mark any ones we say that are inactive, okay?" Peter nodded again. He walked over to the Warp Pad Topaz was on. He peeled off one of the stickers and placed it on.

Turquoise jumped on top of a different Warp Pad. There was a paused as she tried to activated it.

"Inactive!" she shouted. Peter ran over to her, slapping a sticker on the Warp Pad she as on. Pear walked over to another Warp Pad. She stepped on top of it. Pearl stared at the crystalline surface of the pad before sighing.

"Inactive," she said, disappointed. Peter dashed over. He put a sticker on the pad Pearl was on.

"Do we have to check all of them?" groaned Turquoise. She looked around at the Warp Pads. Turquoise pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. "They're still inactive, like always." Peter looked around at the Warp Pads.

"I've never seen so many Warp Pads in one place before," he said. Peter looked down at the sticker sheet. "I hope I have enough…" He looked over at Pearl. She hadn't moved an inch. "Where do all these Warp Pads go, anyway?" Pearl sighed. She sat down on the Warp Pads she was standing on.

"Well, Peter," she said, starting her explanation. Pearl stared up at the stars that dotted the night sky. "These Warp Pads were used to travel off-planet. They were our connection to the Gem Homeworld and to Gem controlled planets all over the universe."

"You mean we could go anywhere in outer space?" Peter said excitedly.

"Yeah…" droned Turquoise. Peter looked back at her. "We could do that if they weren't all busted." She kicked the Warp Pad beside her. Pearl looked down to Peter.

"As much as I hate it, Turquoise is right," she said. Peter looked back towards her. "The Galaxy Warps have been inactive for thousands of years now."

"Can't we fix them?" Peter asked.

"No," Topaz said, far too quick for comfort.

"It's fine," said Pearl with a small, quiet laugh. "I'll always have my memories of other worlds. But now I'm here on Earth." It appeared as if the realization of where she was just hit her after thousands of years. "Forever."

"With me!" Peter said. He leaned up against he Warp apd. Pearl looked at him. She forced a smile, running a hand affectionately through Peter's hair.

"Right. With you." She sighed, dropping her hand. Pearl gazed back up at the stars. "It really is incredible out there, though. I wish you could see it, Peter."

* * *

It was a slow day at the Väinämöinen clinic. Tino sat at the front desk, working in silence. Peter sat near him in the waiting room. He swung his legs under the hard plastic chair he was sitting on. Peter looked up at this father.

"Hey dad," he said, breaking the silence. Tino glanced up at him. "Did you know the Gems used to travel all over outer space?" TIno replied with a short nod. He looked back down at this work.

"Yeah," he said simply. Peter continued talking when he remembered what had transpired yesterday at the Galaxy Warp.

"I think Pearl really misses going there." Peter stood up. Tino glanced up at him. "Dad, can you help me build a spaceship?"

"You know, that might be a bit out of my skill set." Peter shook his head.

"No way, we could totally build a spaceship!" Peter jumped up on the chair he had been sitting on moments earlier. "People have done it before, and we're people."

"We are people…" Tino repeated, albeit at a lower tone than Peter's.

"And Pearl would love so much to see space again." There was a moment. In the end, Tino sighed before looking down at what he was doing.

"Sure, why not?" he said. Peter jumped down off of the chair with a grin. "We'll start after I finish up here."

* * *

The next time Tino had off from work, he picked Peter up from the Temple. He drove down into the countryside for what seemed like an hour. When the van finally came to a stop, Peter jumped out. Tino had taken him out to a barn.

"Hey, dad?" Peter asked as Tino got out of the van himself. "What are we doing here?" Tino didn't answer. He fished out a pair of keys out of his pocket. Tino walked over to the barn door. There was a large padlock on it. Using the keys, Tino unlocked the barn. He took off the lock and opened the door, revealing thick piles of discarded items scattered all over the barn.

"My aunt and uncle had a great love of aviation and each other," Tino explained. Peter stared at the contents of the barn. "They cherished the years they spent together, and they held onto every belonging they ever owned. It's kind of like e and my storage shed." Tino paused. "I'm starting to think our family has a problem."

"This is great!" said Peter. He had ignored Tino's explanation of the barn entirely. "I hereby declare this barn to be Universal Space Travel HQ!"

* * *

Hours went by as father and son got to work on their "spaceship" idea. Once the entire thing was put together, Peter couldn't wait to show Pearl. He quickly returned home and returned to the barn in almost the same amount of time. The only difference was that Pearl was now with him.

Pearl held a hand over her glasses. Peter had the other one, and was leading Pearl to the barn.

"Okay, now," said Peter once they reached it. He let go of Pearl. Pearl lowered her hand. The first thing she caught sight of was a banner nailed above the barn doors.

"'U Space Travel'?" she questioned, reading the sign aloud. She looked down at Peter. "What's this?"

"Dad and I built a spaceship!" Peter answered. He ran into the barn.

"A spaceship?" Pearl sound a bit excited. Peter wheeled out a wooden box with cardboard wings taped onto the sides of it. "A spaceship." All excitement was gone from her voice.

Pearl followed the two humans as they rolled the mess of a spaceship to the top of a nearby hill. Tino had everything set up for the "test flight". Peter climbed into what Pearl would call a death trap on wheels.

"Remember Peter," Tino said to Peter. Peter put a helmet on his head. "If you run into any trouble out there, you can always bail. There's never any shame in bailing."

"Fatherly advice understood," said Peter. He hook the strap under his chin. "Thanks Dad. Light the engines!"

"Roger that." With a small match that Tino had stowed away in his hand, he ignited a sparkler that was taped to the back of the box.

"Next stop— outer space!" Tino gave the spaceship a small shove. The force was enough to send it racing down he hill. However, halfway down, one of the wing came off. This was soon followed by a side of the box and the other wing.

"No shame!" Peter said quickly before baling from the "spaceship". The box on wheels ran into a rock protruding from the ground and collided with it, smashing into a dozen pieces.

As Peter got back onto his feet, Tino and Pearl raced down the hill to where he was. Pearl shot a glance at the wooden wreckage.

"I think your calculations may have been off," she said.

"They can't be off if you don't do any," Tino told her. Peter took the helmet off of his head.

* * *

Pearl made a personal choice to demand to see the so-called "spaceship" design Peter and his father had come up with, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. She stared at the chalkboard they had drawn upon. It wasn't even a plausible design. It was just a bunch of doodles and scribbles. She erased the board. Pearl replaced what had been there with two lines, separating the board into four equal boxes.

"Did you really think that was going to work?" she said as she drew on the chalkboard. Tino and Peter simply shrugged their shoulders. Pearl began drawing out a diagram of a simple spaceship. "Here, look. You need smooth, curved surfaces. Otherwise, you're never going to get enough speed to break Earth's gravitational pull." As she worked, her sketch became more and more detailed with the description she was laying out. "Probably swept-back wings for supersonic flight, airtight cockpit with ejector seat, and we'll need some serious engines, or maybe rockets would b better."

"I vote rockets!" said Peter, walking over to stand at Pearl's side.

"Hold on a second," Tino said. Pearl stopped her drawing. She and Peter looked back at him. "We're not actually talking about building something like this, right?"

"What? This?" Pearl tapped the board with her knuckle as she spoke. She laughed. "Of course not! That would be ridiculous. I mean…" She looked over her design again. "Yes, theoretically, it's not a stretch." Pearl looked behind the chalkboard and into the barn. "You've got plenty of spare parts here, albeit for incredibly primitive propulsion-based space travel." She withdrew her head, looking back at Tino. "The idea is ludicrous. It would never work. Although several humans, a monkey and a dog did make it into space…" Pearl paused for a moment. Peter could see the gears grinding in her head as her eyes lit up behind her glasses. "I don't know why I've never thought of it before. This could actually work!" Peter and Tino exchanged a worried lance before looking back towards Pearl. "I know what you're going to say and I agree. It would be incredibly dangerous. A fool's errand. But aren't the true fools the ones who don't seize an opportunity, despite all the inherent risks? And I'd be able to show Peter the wonders of the cosmos! And maybe for a second…" Pearl looked up the sky above. "Even if it is from a distance… I'll be able to see what has been going on without me." Pearl had made up her mind and pulled her vision back down to the ground.

"Alright, let's do it!" she said excitedly.

"Space travel go!" Peter added.

* * *

Peter found Pearl to be a marvel as she worked. He knew that Pearl had managed to repair Tino's van, but he didn't understand the full extent of her technical prowess. She handled a majority of the spaceship project herself, from the size and shape of the craft right down to the chemical elements of it. By the end of the day, she had finished up the main engine. She and Tino had strapped it to a small glider and a seat. The test driver for the engine was Peter.

"Do you think we're taking this a little too far?" Tino asked Pearl. They stood on the ground, watching Peter glide through the skies above with the help of Pearl's engine.

"We're not even close to being done," said Pearl.

"We're not?" Pearl picked up a small handheld radio from off the ground. The corresponding radio was with Peter.

"Okay Peter, go ahead and bring her down," she said to him, ignoring Tino entirely.

"Alright!" said Peter, his voice coated with the crackle of static. The glider came down softly in the grassy plain in front of the barn. immediately as it made contact with the ground the engine backfired, the wings collapsed and the seat ejected Peter into the dirt.

"Was it supposed to fall apart like that?" said Tino worriedly. Peter stood off of the ground, brushing the dust from his pants.

"Don't worry," Pearl said nonchalantly. "This was just to test my engine concept. I'll work out the kinks in the next one."

"Hang on, hang on. Next one?!" Peter jogged up to his legal guardian and his father. Pearl ignored the man's question in favor of her own.

"Is there a shop in town that carries F-1 single-nozzle liquid-fueled rockets?"

"Are you really serious?!" Pearl's inattention to his question gave him his answer. "You really are serious!"

"Of course," Pearl said, actually paying attention to Tino's words. She put a hand on Peter's head as he came up to her. "We're also going to need a space suit for Peter so he doesn't freeze or explode. Peter imitated an explosion. He was acting very calm about this, but his father was not.

"No!" said Tino, taking a firm tone of voice. "I'm not allowing it!"

"What?" Peter groaned. "But why?

"Peter you're grounded."

"What?" He already had been grounded once by the Gems, albeit that was lifted about a half an hour later because of Coral taking the ocean. Tino shook his head.

"No, no. I mean you're grounded." Tino said, pointing to the ground beneath their feet. "You don't get to leave Earth."

"What?!" That didn't sound any better to Peter.

"As C.E.O. and space commander, I hereby ground this astronaut and cancel this mission."

"Stupid company by-laws," Peter muttered. He trudged over next to his dad. Pearl dropped her hand. Along with her hand, her face and all of her hopes of travelling to space once again fell.

"Who made you C.E.O.?!" she said, raising her voice above speaking level.

"He did," Tino told her, gesturing to the boy beside him. Peter blushed nervously. Pearl emitted a low growl from her throat.

"Fine," she said. "If neither of you will help, I'll just do it myself." She turned on her heel, marching off towards the barn. "Not like it'll be much different."

"Pearl!" Peter called out. But Pearl had already entered the barn and shut the doors behind her. Tino put his hand on Peter's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Peter," he said. "Sometimes you just got to know when to bail." Peter was fixated on the door and the whirring noises that had started to come from inside the barn.

* * *

Due to how long they had stayed at the barn―as well as Peter not wanting to leave Pearl alone all throughout the night― Tino and Peter had set up a small camp in the back of Tino's van. Peter was curled up in a sleeping bag, rested up against the barn, despite his father's insistence of him sleeping in the van. Peter was asleep.

Or at least he was. Peter was roused from his sleep by gentle nudge to his shoulder. He was shaken again as he opened his eyes. He came face to face with Pearl. He gave a small shout of surprise, which was quickly silenced by Pearl's hand over his mouth.

"Don't wake your father," said Pearl in a whisper, glancing back at the van for a second. Peter nodded, and Pearl lowered her hand. "Now, follow me. I have something I want to show you." Once again, Peter's answer was a simple nod. He crawled out of his sleeping bag and followed after Pearl. He gazed into the open van. Tino was still in his dreams. Peter chased after Pearl to the barn doors. She was leaning up against it, biting her lip in anticipation.

"What is it?" Peter asked Pearl, keeping quiet.

"Allow me to present he brand-new ballistic-flight-capable Universe Mach Three!" Pearl said. She had difficulty in keeping quiet as she pulled aside the barn doors. Peter had trouble keeping his own eagerness. Pearl had done it.

She had built a spaceship entirely from scrap. Peter followed after Pearl into the barn. He couldn't take his eyes off of the ship.

"Spaceship!" Peter said happily. Pearl instantly shushed him as he ran around to the ship.

"Wait Peter," she said. "Keep your voice down." Peter climbed up to the ship's climbed up after him. She opened the main hatch. She had no resistance in Peter climbing inside. There was a single seat that Peter took up.

"Look at all the buttons!" he said, staring at the dashboard and control panel that Pearl had set up. "I must push them all." Pearl leaned up against the cockpit's outer rim.

"If you want, Peter, we could take her out for a spin." Pearl stood up and stepped back. Peter watched as her gem glowed. Her clothes became light, shifting and changing form until she had changed her clothes into a slim fitting bodysuit. The one thing that stood out to Peter was the pink diamond on her chest in place of the usual gold star. "It'll be quick." Peter grinned.

Pearl climbed into the cockpit. Peter sat on her lap as she pulled the seat belt over herself. She started up the engine.

Unfortunately for Pearl, the engine produced a louder sound than she wanted. The engine was loud enough to wake Tino with a start. He rolled out of the van with a start, slamming onto the ground. When the ship started to roll out of barn, Tino stumbled to his feet, all sleep's drowsy fog gone from his head. He came to a halt when he caught sight of the cockpit. When he caught sight of his son. That's when the ship took off. The force of the bast pushed Tino up against the barn. He sank into the damp grass.

The next thing Tino saw was the discarded radio on the ground. He only had one hope that Pearl had done one thing that would give him an advantage.  
Meanwhile, Peter had his hands pressed up against the glass that served as the hatch of the cockpit. The view down below was absolutely spectacular.

"Look!" he said, pointing down to the land below. "You can see the Temple from up here!" Pearl only gave a small hum as a response as she began to fiddle with the various knobs and dials before her. To sets of eyes, one blue and one green, were turned away from their current tasks when the radio started to crackle. Pearl hit a single button to turn on their end.

"Hey, can you here me?" Tino's voice came from the other end. "Where do you two think you're going?!" Peter scrambled over to the radio.

"Hey dad!" he said. "Guess where I am?"

"I know where you are! It's where you're going that concerns me!"

"Don't worry dad. It's just a quick test flight."

"This will be perfectly fine," said Pearl. She went back to working with the controls. "It's just a pop over to the nearest star system. I'll give him back in fifty years."

"Fifty years?" Peter repeated, looking at Pearl in shock.

"What?" said Tino over the radio. He was just as surprised as Peter was. "I'll be dead in fifty years! Pearl, you bring him back right now or I'll-" Tino was cut off when Pearl turned off the radio.  
"Pearl, I'm not supposed to go," Peter said to his Gem guardian. She ignored him. Peter shook her shoulder. "Pearl!"

"This is exciting Peter," said Pearl, trapped in her own bliss. "You're going to love it." Pearl danced her fingers across the keys of a piano she used in the controls. She played her notes, creating an inharmonious melody. "Hang tight!" Pearl pushed forward on the steering. The ship skyrocketed up. The ship gave a sudden lurch. Looking out the cockpit, Peter saw the front shake. a piece of it fell off, speeding by them.

"What was that?" Peter asked Pearl. An alarm began to blare loudly. "Pearl!"

"We can make it." Pearl had her eyes on the starry sky just within her reach. "We're almost there." The spaceship around the began to fall apart. Peter shook Pearl's shoulders.

"Pearl!"

"I'm going to show it to you." Pearl was no help to Peter. He frantically searched around the controls. One thing caught his eye. He grabbed ad pulled on a lever that read "hatch release". The glass dome that served as a hatch popped open and fell to the ground. This is what finally caught Pearl's attention.

"Peter!" she yelled over the roar of the wind racing past. "What are you doing?!"

"We need to go, Pearl!" Peter shouted. "We're not going to make it!"

"Bu we're almost there!"

"Pearl!" Peter shook Pearl's shoulders with each of his sentences. "I know you miss space. I know you worked hard. But sometimes, you just gotta know when to bail." Pearl stared at Peter's eyes and his worried expression. She looked out at the stars above with misty eyes. In the end, she knew her choice.

Pearl pulled Peter into her lap, pulling sharply the lever beside her. She wrapped her arms tightly around Peter as the chair they were sitting in was ejected out of the spaceship. Moments later the ship exploded, sending debris down to the Earth below.

Also down below was Tino. His face turned a deathly pale when the ship exploded.

"No!" he screamed. He stumbled before running into the barn. He had already lost one person he loved. He didn't want to lose the other. Tino rummaged around among the piles of junk with usual speed until he found an old spyglass among his aunt's possessions. He extended it out. Tino turned heel ad ran out of the barn, examining the sky with the spyglass.

"Please, please, please, please, please…" Tino muttered repeatedly. That's when he saw it. In the glow of dawn on the horizon. There were Pearl and Peter, safely floating back down to Earth in a chair attached to a parachute. Tino lowered the glass with a heaving sigh. He dropped down on the ground. "This kid is killing me."

* * *

Peter watched the sunrise as he and Pearl glided down to Earth. Pearl's python-tight grip loosened on him.

"I'm so sorry, " she said after a long pause of silence. "I almost got us killed."

"I'm used to it," said Peter. He leaned back onto Pearl. She rested her chin on his head. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you go to space. We'll get there someday. I promise."

"You know," Pearl said with a soft and gentle smile, "I think I'd rather be here on Earth."

"With me!" She nodded.

"Yes. With you." And at the moment, there was no place Pearl would rather be than on the world she had chosen for her own.


	29. Secret Team

**Episode 29: Secret Team**

* * *

Turquoise was like the cool older sister who let you do whatever you wanted most of the time. Peter really liked this part about her. There was this, combined with the fact that Turquoise had large, deep puddles of water in her room within the Temple. She also let Peter jump into them with her.

Peter climbed up on top of one of the many piles of random junk Turquoise had collected in her room. He stared into the watery pool below.

"Cannonball!" he said. Peter took a small step back before charging forward. He wrapped himself into a ball after he leapt off the pile. He landed in the pool with a large splash. When Peter reached the surface again, he was surprised to see Turquoise was nowhere in sight. From below the water, something grabbed him by the waist and lifted him out of the pool. With a huge fit of laughter, Turquoise threw Peter into the air so that he landed in the pool again. Peter swam to the surface, pushing back his wet hair when he caught sight of a grinning Turquoise.

"Turquoise, did you see?" Peter asked her as she swam to the edge of the pool. She climbed out, wringing out her short hair in both of her hands. "I think that was my best one!" Turquoise simply waved her hand back and forth, dismissing Peter's statement.

"You need to put some more 'ball' in your 'cannon'," Turquoise told him. She took a few steps away from the pool.

"Isn't that going to hurt?" Turquoise shook her head.

"Not if you do it like this!" Turquoise turned on her heel. She ran at the pool. She leapt off the shore. In mid air, the Gem used her shapeshifting ability to transform herself into a ball. The resulting impact created a huge splash that pushed Peter back onto solid ground.  
"That was awesome!" said Peter with a laugh. Turquoise met him at the shoreline. "I want to jump in some more puddles."

"Okay." Turquoise looked around before pointing over to another one of the many puddles that were scattered about her room. "You can try this one." She gestured over to another. "Or that one." Peter got up off of the ground and wandered through the field of puddles. He came across one he felt was perfect. He crouched down onto his knees.

"What about this one?" Peter didn't even wait for Turquoise's answer before plunging his head in.

"No Peter, wait!" Peter was surprised. The puddle he had found acted as a portal, not a pool. It lead to the heart of the temple, stored from ceiling to floor with the bubbled, corrupted Gems that the Crystal Gems had fought and contained over the course of thousands of years. He caught sight of the only unbubbled Gem in the room. Topaz.

Before Peter could see what she was doing, he was jerked out from the puddle by Turquoise. She hed him up off of the ground like he was a bunch of grapes.

"Only Topaz is allowed in there," she said to him before dropping Peter on the ground. "Let's try something a little less dangerous than interrupting Topaz's 'alone time'. Why don't you try jumping off of that?" Turquoise pointed over to a rickety-looking pile of random junk.

"How do you even stack your stuff that high?" Peter asked her. He walked over to the pile.

"It's a talent." Peter gave a small grunt of effort as he climbed up to the top of the pile. He stared down at Turquoise below when he finally reached the top "Do it!"

"Turquoise, I hope you're ready! Because here I go!" Peter jumped off the top of the pile and towards a puddle below. Unfortunately, on his way down, Peter struck a tire that had been sticking out of the pile. His aim was sent off course. The only lucky thing about this situation was that Peter landed in a different pool. The pool had been deeper than he expected. He ended up sinking to the bottom of the pool, which then lead down into a tunnel. The tunnel opened up into a waterfall. Peter was sent down the watery path, Peter landed with a quiet splash in a large pool below. When he resurfaced, he was sure of where the tunnel had led. The room was a lot cleaner than Turquoise's was, and had many more waterfalls than he had seen in Turquoise's room, which was none at all.

"Am I in Pearl's room?" Peter muttered to himself. A splash drew Peter's attention from behind him. He turned. Turquoise had followed him. She swam up next to him.

"That was crazy, huh?" she said to him. Her gaze turned upward. Turquoise's eyes narrowed. Peter followed her gaze. She was staring directly at Pearl. The white Gem was standing on top of one of her waterfalls. Floating in between her hands was a green bubble filled with shards of fallen Gems. "What is she doing with an Emerald bubble?"

"My mum bubbled that?" Peter asked Turquoise. His response was a hand over his mouth. Turquoise got a devilish look on her face that made Peter uncomfortable.

"Topaz is going to be so p—" Turquoise's voice was cut off as she sunk lower into the water. Using the water to hide her noises, Turquoise dived into the pool. Peter drew in a breath before following after her. Turquoise took his hand. She helped him to swim up the waterfall that Pearl was standing on. Pearl didn't even notice when the two broke trough the surface of the water. Turquoise and Peter pulled themselves onto the solid-like surface. With a mischievous smirk, Turquoise crept up behind Pearl. She was inspecting the bubble.

"Busted!" Turquoise shouted, causing Pear to give a startled yell. She whipped around, hiding the bubble poorly behind her back.

"What are you doing here?" Pearl said quickly.

"What are you doing in here?" Peter walked up to Turquoise's side. Pearl's face turned a dark teal.

"I…" She stood up straight, clearing her throat. Pearl brought the bubble into view. "I just wanted to see how the shards are reacting to Emerald's bubble." Her eyes narrowed. "And it's none of your business what I do in my private time."

"Uh… I think it's Topaz's business." Peter hide a snicker behind his hand. Pearl took a stride forward, seizing Turquoise by her tank top with one of her hands. The other was used to hold the bubble.

"Don't tell her!"

"How are you going to stop me?" Turquoise grabbed Pearl by her wrist. She pulled her hand away from her chest. Pearl gave a small growl from deep inside her throat. With one swift move, Pearl lifted her leg high enough so that it missed Peter entirely. It soared above his head so that Pearl's foot smacked into Turquoise's face. Turquoise groaned in frustration. She grabbed Pearl's foot. Turquoise used her advantage to flip Pearl over her shoulder. There was a small splash as Pearl hit the waterfall's solid surface.

"Turquoise!" she hissed. Peter, sensing the fight that was already emanate, stood in between Turquoise and Pearl, keeping his hands extended out to either side.

"Guys, stop fighting!" he begged. It was useless. Turquoise and Pearl ran at each other. Peter kept them apart. Emerald's bubble was hovering between the three of them, Pearl having let go of it. Peter caught sight of it. He broke his position to get a hold on the bubble. Pearl and Turquoise stopped immediately.

"Peter, be careful with that!" said Pearl.

"Yeah, give it to me!" said Turquoise. Pearl and Turquoise reached for the bubble at the exact same time. The effect of their actions were too much for the bubble to take. It popped. The Gem shards fell into Peter's hands. Peter's eyes went wide. He had seen what these shards could do once before. it was understandable why a sudden silence had fallen among the three.

The shards Peter held began to glow. This was new. Peter's heart jumped into his throat as the shards began to take the form of various limbs, much like how Pearl and Coral did when they regenerated from their stones. However, these shards didn't fully form into humanoid bodies. They became disembodied limbs. A mass amount of arms and legs ell from Peter's hands and cascaded down the waterfall. The three Crystal Gems were helpless as they watched the limbs fall into the tunnels underneath the pool in Pearl's room. They were scattered throughout the Temple.

"We got to get Topaz," said Peter, breaking the silence. It wouldn't be long before she found out about what had happened. Peter felt like it would be better to tell her than have her find out on her own.

"No! No way!" Turquoise exclaimed. "We just freed a bunch of mindless gem chunks, okay?! They're going to crawl all over the Temple!" Turquoise was panicking. Pearl wasn't much calm in the situation either. She was trying to keep her breathing steady. However, she was just as panicked as Turquoise was. Her breathing turned into hyperventilating. "And when Topaz finds out, we're dead! Okay, maybe not Peter, but you and me, Pearl. She's going to poof us and shatter us!" Pearl inhaled sharply. She had finally gotten a hold on her breathing.

"That's not going to happen," she said, trying to keep calm the best she could. "We're going to catch them. All of them." Tension slowly began to leave Turquoise's body.

"You're right. Every single one will be back in a bubble and in the basement before Topaz ever finds out!"

"Like nothing ever happened."

"And then we tell Topaz?" Peter asked the two.

"No!" Both of the full gems said at once. Pearl placed a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"This has to stay a secret," she said. "Alright?"

"Our secret? Together?" Pearl nodded. "If we've got a secret, we've got to do this right." He gave a small gasp. "Which means we've got to come up with a name for our secret-keeping team — Something cool, like… the Secret Team!" Pearl exchanged a glance with Turquoise.

"Great, Peter," said Pearl. She let go of him and summoned her spear. "Come on. We're doing this." Turquoise gave her a nod before summoning her whip.  
"Secret Team, move out!" said Peter. This was going to be fun.

* * *

Pearl, Turquoise, and Peter started their trek around the Temple. Peter, unlike his two Gem guardians, wasn't helping much with the task of poofing and containing the shards. Pearl and Turquoise were doing most of the work. There was one thing about the entire situation that Peter found to be lighthearted. Pearl and Turquoise. The two Gems often bickered like cats and dogs. This time, however, they weren' pair were acting like a well-oiled machine and watching out for each other. Peter believed this is how they should act all the time.

Soon, the three had collected all the Gem shards that had been sent throughout the Temple.

"Okay," said Pearl. She held out her hand, showing Peter and Turquoise the shards she had collected. Peter and Turquoise did the same thing.

"That looks like all of them," said Turquoise.

"Yeah! Secret Team!" exclaimed Peter. Pearl's eyes gazed over the shards. She muttered numbers under her breath.

"There's twenty-two here," she said before looking up at Turquoise. "Are you sure that we didn't miss any?" Turquoise shook her head.

"No way!" she said. "We totally nailed this."

"Yeah, Pearl," Peter added. "We got all of them." Pearl nodded, clearing her throat.

"If you sure this is all of them, then there's just one thing left to do," she said. Pearl looked over to Peter. "We need to seal them in an Emerald bubble."

"Peter, this is all you!" said Turquoise. She dropped her shards into Peter's open hand. "Think you can do it?"

"Yeah, I can do it," Peter said with a nod. "I bubbled one gem before. I can do it again. What's a bunch of gem shards to that?"

"Of course you can bubble them," said Pearl. "You're part of the Secret Club."

"Secret Team."

"Yes. Secret Team." Pearl placed her shards in Peter's hand. He placed his other hand on top of the gem shards. With a slight amount of difficulty, Peter managed to generate a translucent green bubble around the shards after a few tries. There was only one final step in their plan.

* * *

The three made their way down into Turquoise's room. There was a simple way to sneak the bubble into the basement with the help of one of her pools.

Pearl and Turquoise held onto Peter as the boy lowered himself into the pool. The pool opened up into the heart of the temple. He froze when he saw the room. Topaz had not budged at all from when Peter saw her earlier. He began to kick his legs. Pearl and Turquoise pulled him up.

"Topaz is down there!" he said as soon as he was free from the water.

"Did she see you?" Turquoise asked. Peter shook his head.

"I don't think so."

"Then what are you waiting for?" said Pearl. They plunged him back down into the pool. Peter kept his eyes on Topaz, silentl wishing that she wouldn't look behind her. He let go of the bubble, allowing it to float to the ceiling. Pearl and Turquoise pulled him back up.

"Mission accomplished," Pearl said with a relieved sigh. "Congratulations, us."

"We're off the hook," Turquoise said. She flopped backwards onto a cleaned patch of the ground.

"What's next?" Peter asked, looking between Turquoise and Pearl.

"Nothing," Turquoise sat up, resting herself on her elbows. "Mission's over."

"Now, everything goes back to normal and we never speak of this again," Pearl said. "I'll see you later." Pearl began to walk out of the room. Peter watched her go.

"What about Secret team?"

* * *

Peter felt like everything was a ticking time bomb. When the timer counted down, Pearl and Turquoise would exploded at each other yet again. He wanted Secret Team back together. That way, they wouldn't argue. That's when he got an idea.

Peter dragged Pearl and Turquoise down into Pearl's room.

"I know you must be wondering why I brought you here," said Peter to the two. They didn't answer, only giving each other weird look. "It's 'cause I'm gettin' the team back together! The Secret Team is back on top! Here's what we need to―" Turquoise's groaning stopped Peter.

"Peter, the Secret Team is over," she said. "It's dad."

"Secret Team?" said Pearl. "What's that?" She gave a nervous laugh. She was acting like nothing had ever happened.

"But we had so much fun together!" said Peter. "You two were getting along, we were sneaking around…" Pearl put her hands tightly on Peter's shoulders.

"Peter, that was not fun," she said. She sighed, taking her hands off them and crossing her arms over her chest. "That was about fixing our terrible mistake."

"Uh, it was your mistake," said Turquoise. "You shouldn't have had that bubble in the first place."

"It would never had popped if you hadn't invaded my personal space!" said Pearl, failing at not grinding her teeth together.

"Guys, stop it," said Peter. He got in between the two, pushing them apart. This is exactly what happened last time.

"Fine," said Turquoise, Ignoring Peter's words. "You can have all the personal space you want. I never want to be on a team with you again!" She turned around.

"Good!" Pearl shouted. "I don't want to be on a team with you either!" Turquoise glanced back at them.

"Fine!" Turquoise walked off the waterfall, dropping down in the the pool below.

"Fine!" Pearl said through gritted teeth.

"Guys, come on!" said Peter. But he had been too late. The bomb had already gone off.

* * *

Peter sat on a bench near the beach. The sun had gone down a while ago. He had lost track of how long he had been sitting there. After the fight between Pearl and Turquoise, he didn't want to be in the Temple anymore. Peter was cold.

The cold he felt started to go away when something dropped across his shoulders. Peter wrapped his sweatshirt around his shoulders. He didn't look back to see who had given it to him. He didn't want to.

"Peter," came Topaz's voice from behind. Peter pulled on the sweatshirt to keep him warmer than he had been with it just over his shoulders. "Come on, Peter. It's late. You can't be out here much longer or you'll freeze." Peter shook his head. Topaz walked around from the back of the bench to sit down next to him. "You're making zhat face again. Zhe one you make vhen you did somezhing wrong. Vhat happened?"

"Pearl and Turquoise are fighting again." To Peter's surprise, Topaz laughed.

"Peter, zhey alvays fight," she said. "It's not a big of a deal."

"They're fighting because of me. It's my fault." Topaz lowered her gaze. Peter felt like something was choking him.

"Peter. Vhat are you talking about?" Peter sighed. He had to come clean if he wanted to help Turquoise and Pearl work together.

"Pearl and Turquoise popped one of the bubbles. We made a Secret Team to cover it because they didn't want you to know. Everything was great, but now they're fighting again and won't be on the same team anymore because I tried to get Secret Team back together." Topaz was silent for a moment. When she finally spoke again, the words that came out of her mouth was something Peter didn't expect.

"You did zhe right zhing telling me." Peter looked over at her.

"I don't want them to fight anymore."

"Vhile zhat may be somezhing ve can't control, I can zhink of a vay to get zhem to vork togezher again. "Ve'll have to form our own Secret Team to do it."

"You mean like a Super Secret Team?" Topaz shrugged.

"I guess you could say zhat." She stood up. "Come on. I'll tell you one zhe vay home." Peter got off of the bench and followed after Topaz.

* * *

Pearl was in her room. She had her spear in hand, practicing against her own holographic clones. She thrusted her spear through the final hologram, watching it fade away. She sighed, standing up straight.

"Alright, let's try that again," she said to herself. "Maybe I should enhance the―" Pearl was cut off by a sudden shake from behind. She whipped around, releasing her spear in the process. There was Topaz. Turquoise as thrown over on of her shoulders, and Peter was tucked away under her arm.

"Topaz!" Pearl gasped. Topaz didn't speak. She threw both of her prisoners at Pearl's feet. Pearl only helped Peter up.

"What's the big idea?" said Turquoise, hold her head in her hand.

"What's this all about, Topaz?" said Peter. Topaz had a dangerous feel about her.

"I know all about zhe gem shards!" Pearl and Turquoise exchanged a worried glance with one another. Peter stood up.

"It was me!" he said. He was taking the blame for the both of them. "I'm the one who popped the bubble. I did it. Just me."

"Peter…" said Pearl. Peter looked back at her. "I can't believe you!" He couldn't believe it either. They were letting him take the blame for something he didn't even do. Turquoise got up off the ground.

"If no one has anyzhing else to say, and everyone else is innocent…" Topaz said. She looked over to Turquoise and Pearl. They didn't say anything. She sighed, looking to Peter. "Peter, I'm going to have to punish you. Come vith me." Before Peter could make as so much of a single move, a dark orange hand shot up out of the water. It grabbed Topaz around her waist. She gave a scream before the hand pulled her into the watery depths.

"Topaz!" shouted all three of the remaining Crystal Gems. They ran to the spot where she disappeared.

"I can't see her!" said Turquoise. The hand shot back up from one of the other water pedestals that Pearl had throughout her room. It still held Topaz in its grasp. She wriggled around, trying to get free. She managed to pry one of her hands loose. Before she could summon her gauntlet, the hand pulled her back down.

"Help!" Topaz screamed before her voice was clogged by water.

"We missed a shard!" said Peter. pearl summoned her spear. Turquoise summoned her whip. Peter made a failed attempt to summon his shield. The hand burst out for the water that Pearl, Turquoise, and Peter were standing on. This time, it was missing Topaz. The hand made a mad dash from Turquoise, landing a blow square her stomach. Turquoise got to her feet and tried to make a run at the hand to attack it directly. However, another hand shot out of the water. It seize her in its tight embrace. Her whip fell out of reach and down the waterfall.

"Turquoise!" shouted Peter. He tried to summon his shield again. Turquoise moved around frantically. She needed to free one of her hands to summon her whip again. She needed her hands free so she could free herself.

Pearl made a charge at the hand. Before she could make a dent, the second hand went under and burst from the water almost a split second later. It grabbed her. Pearl lost her grip on her spear. It took the same path as Turquoise's whip had just moments before.

"Pearl!" yelled Peter. He tried to summon his shield for a third time. It wouldn't work. The hands suspended Pearl and Turquoise high above the water. The two tried to free themselves with what they had. Their own bodies.

"Turquoise, shapeshift!" shouted Pearl in a panic. "Get small or something!" Turquoise shook her head.

"I can't! I'm freaking out!" Turquoise said, kicking her legs wildly. "You do it!"

"I can't concentrate!" The hands tightened their grip on the two Gems. "This is all my fault! I never should ave had that bubble in the first place!"

"It wouldn't have popped if it weren't for me!"

"We should've told Topaz!" said Peter, still trying to form his shield. "I knew Secret Team was wrong. I just— I wanted to see you guys acting like friends!" In the next moment, there was a sound of laughter. Out from the water rose Topaz. The hands holding Pearl and Turquoise shrunk until they were normal sized again. They were Topaz's own two hands. They were also holding Pearl And Turquoise by the back of their shirts.

"Zhat's all I needed to hear," said the Gem Leader before dropping her two teammates.

"Topaz?" said Pearl out of confusion. "What's going on?" Peter dashed forward.

"Our plan worked!" he said to her. Topaz gave a short nod. Her calm expression melted away when her gaze fell on Pearl and Turquoise.

"So you two can't get along unless you zhink I'm going to kill you." Pearl and Turquoise didn't make eye contact with anyone. Their faces turned a dark shade of teal. Topaz sighed, looking down towards Peter. She crouched down to his height. "Peter, I know you vanted to help zhem. You vanted to protect zhem, even from me. Zhey made you feel like you had to take zheir side. But zhere are no sides, because ve're all on the same team." Topaz stood up to her full height. All eyes were on her. "Ve are zhe Crystal Gems! Am I understood?!" There was a collective sigh. All three nodded.

"Crystal." Topaz relaxed her body.

"Good." Topaz walked over, the waterfall's edge jumping down into the pool to leave the room. Pearl, Turquoise and Peter were left in their own silence.


	30. Island Adventure

**Episode 30: Island Adventure**

* * *

Normally, Peter enjoyed going on missions with the Gems. However, after the events concerning the Gem shards, Topaz had decided to take this mission to the next level. She made it into a team building exercise for Pearl and Turquoise. Peter was lucky that he just escaped punishment by telling Topaz the truth. If he hadn't, he probably would be cuffed together with Pearl and Turquoise now.

All three Gems stood on the edge of the tropical island Topaz had taken them to for their mission. They stared out at the ocean waves.

"Are you sure it's here?" sad Pearl. Topaz stared out at the ocean. She was impatient, her arms crossed over her chest and her hip cokced to the side.

"It _vas_ ," she said, sounding irritated.

"Do you think it swam away?"

"Ve'll have to look and see." Peter joined them. He watched the ocean rise and fall as it the tide sank in and out of the shore. Pearl and Topaz turned, heading back to the Warp Pad that was stationed on the island. Pearl was jerked backwards. Turquoise hadn't moved.

"Turquoise!" said Pearl. "Hurry up!" Turquoise looked back at her with narrowed eyes. She turned her attention back towards Peter, making a sharp whistle to nab his attention. Peter snapped from his trance when Turquoise walked forward, dragging Pearl with her, and picked him up. Holding under one arm, Turquoise made her way back to the Warp Pad with Pearl.

"Time to go, kiddo," said Turquoise. She and Pearl hopped up on the Warp Pad.

"Already?" Peter said. The place was so beautiful. He didn't want to go yet. Turquoise put him down on the Warp Pad. He looked back at Topa before she could activate the Warp Pad. "Can I at least try and warp us back?" Topa exchanged a look with Pearl. A grin crossed her face.

"I don't see vhy not," she said. Peter beamed. "Just concentrate on zhe Temple. It's easy. Your gem vill take care of the rest." Peter gave her a strong nod. He closed his eyes. The image of the Temple came to his mind. After a long time, Peter tightened the hold he had over his eyes. Bright light had hit his eyelids. When the light was gone, Peter slowly opened his eyes. A wave of pride washed over him.

The Crystal Gems were back in the Temple. He had done it. Peter activated the Warp Pad.

"I did it!" he sad excitedly. "I'm the warp master!" Pearl put a hand on his shoulder.

"You did great," she said.

"Good job," Topaz added, messing up Peter's hair. Peter turned to Turquoise to see what she had to say about what he had just managed to do. His face drained, and he stumbled backwards. Turquoise's head had been replaced with that of a disgusting, dripping fly's.

The sight had shocked Peter enough that he had forgotten he was on the edge of the warp pad. When he took a step back, he fell off. A loud thud rang through the temple when he landed flat on his back.

"Turquoise!" said Pearl in a stern manner. "That's not funny." Turquoise's head morphed into light before changing back into its normal appearance. Turquoise snickered. She had shapeshifted. Peter didn't mess up. She bent down, pulling Pearl down with her in order to help Peter up off the ground.

"It vas a little funny," said Topaz. Peter could clearly see the smirk on her face. Pearl sighed. It seemed like she as the only one who cared about the effect of Turquoise's little joke. Turquoise pulled Peter back up on his feet, allowing Pearl to stand up straight again as well.

"Regardless," she said, "we need to warp back out."

"Can warp us there?" Peter asked. Topaz shook her head.

"Ve're going undervater," she said. Peter took a step away from the warp pad.

"And you do need air to breathe," added Pearl with a worried smile.

"Then, at least can I tell my friends I'm the warp mater?" Topaz and Pearl exchanged a glance with each other.

"I guess, but…" Peter never heard the rest of Pearl's sentence. He had already bolted out the door.

* * *

The first person Peter wanted to tell about his new achievement was Wendy. Unfortunately, she was visiting relatives in Australia for the rest of the week. That left Peter's second choice. He made his way down to the convenience store on the corner of the beach.

"I'm the warp master!" Peter announced as soon as he opened the door. The store's two employee didn't seem interested. Lovise was leaning up against the counter with a book in her hand. Mathias was leaning back in a chair, passed out cold.

"That's nice, Peter," said Lovise without any enthusiasm. At least she had acknowledged him. "You want a doughnut?" Peter nodded as he walked up to the counter.

"Chocolate jelly, please." Lovise closed her book and glanced over at Mathias. He was blocking her way. With a small frustrated noise, Lovise made an attempt to get over Mathias without waking him at all. However, when Mathias made the slightest shift in his position, it knocked Lovise off her balance. She came tumbling down on top of Mathias, waking him in the process.

"Lovise!" said Mathias with a small whine, "I just got to sleep! Now I have to start all over!" Lovise stood up. She stared down at Mathias with a small flicker in her eyes.

"If you want your beauty rest, then don't sleep at the counter!" she said to him. "Unlike you, I'm trying to work." Mathias popped up. Lovise refused to break eye contact.

"Why don't you not work at the counter when I'm trying to sleep?!" Peter felt a sigh escape his lips. This is the type of situation he hated, and one he had recently gotten out of. They were acting strangely like Pearl and Turquoise whenever they argued.

"You could get fired!" Maybe they needed a team building exercise like Topaz had implemented.

"Who cares? I'm sick of this place. I wanna go somewhere new!" That's when he idea struck Peter.

"That's it!" he said, his thoughts translating into words. Lovise and Mathias turned their attention towards him.

"Yeah, Peter," said Lovise. "I know."

"I know that, but I mean I can take us on a vacation! Somewhere warm, and beautiful and magical. Just for the two of you. And me!" Mathias and Lovise exchanged a look with each other. Lovise gave a small shrug. Mathias just sighed.

"It's worth a try."

* * *

Once the pair had finished their shift together, Peter took them to the temple. He knew where he was going. The island that the Gems had taken him to earlier. It was warm and beautiful, and Peter was certain that there were no dangers on the island. After all, he and the Gems didn't find anything dangerous.

With a quick warp, Lovise, Mathias and Peter had arrived at the tropical island.

"We're here!" said Peter with a sense of pride in his voice. He motioned for Lovise and Mathias to follow him. "Come on, this way!" Mathias walked behind Peter. Lovise was lagging behind them both, having to jog to keep up.

"This is way too weird," said Mathias. He looked around at the plants and the fauna that surrounded them. One of the animals gave him a grin that sent shivers up his spine. "That's it. I'm going home." Mathias tried to turn back. Lovise held out her arm, blocking his path.

"No, no follow me!" said Peter. "You gotta see it!" Mathias tried to get past Lovise's arm, but the girl wasn't budging.

"Come on, Mathias," said Lovise. "Just give it a chance." Mathias groaned. He stopped fighting against her. He turned back around and walked on forward.

"Fine," he said in defeat. "If this sucks, I'm out of here." Lovise glanced back at the warp pad.

Peter lead Lovise and Mathias through the jungle. He and Mathias pushed past the leaves until finally breaking through them. White sand, ocean waves and a clear sky filled their view. Peer ran out to the beach, extending his arms out in a welcome.

"Welcome to paradise!" he said, excitedly. Lovise jogged out of the jungle, finally seeing the landscape that was laid out before them."

"Well, you were right," she said. "It is beautiful."

"It's a beach," said Mathias with a definite tone of lack-luster. "We live on a beach." He dug into his pocket, pulling out his phone.

"It's warmer than the beach back home right now!" said Peter. He didn't want Mathias to go. Not yet. "It's also a magical beach! At least that's what the Gems told me when we came here earlier."

"Is that why my phone has no reception?" Mathis groaned, stowing the item away. "Why were you even here?"

"We came here to look for a dangerous corrupted Gem monster that we never found." Peter was relatively calm in his explanation. Lovise and Mathias looked towards each other and back to Peter.

"Yeah," said Mathias. He turned around on his heel. "I'm gone." He headed back into the jungle.

"Mathias!" shouted Lovise. She and Peter dashed in after him. "Wait, this could be fun."

"If I'm going to be bored out of my mind, and possibly die, I'm going to go to work. At least I can get paid for it." Mathias don't look back. Lovise crashed into Mathias, and Peter bumped into her, when Mathias came to a sudden halt. He turned around, looking directly at Peter. "Okay, where is it?"

"Where's what?" Peter asked, sounding confused.

"The teleporter thing! Where is it?! It was right here, wasn't it?" Peter looked at the area. Mathias had been right. The crystalline platform that served as the warp pad was nowhere in sight.

"It wouldn't disappear, would it?" asked Lovise. All eyes were on Peter.

"No," Peter said. He was lacking certainty in his answer. "Well, maybe? I don't know." That was clearly not the answer Mathias wanted to hear.

"What?!" he exclaimed. Peter took a small step back.

"It's okay! The Gems will come to save us when they see I'm missing!" Peter took a small pause. "Eventually…" He had no idea how long their mission would take. "We could be here for a couple days."

"A couple days?!" Mathias repeated, sounding angrier with every word. "Peter, how could you do this? We're stranded!" He took a step closer to Peter. Lovise held out her arm, keeping the two separated.

"Will you calm down?" she said sternly. "Think about it. Is this really the worst place to be stuck in?" Mathias groaned, batting Lovise's arm away.

"You calm down," he told her. He dug into his pocket for his phone. "I'm gonna go find better reception." Lovise watched as Mathias walked off in the direction of the beach.

"Well, I think it's amazing Peter, said Lovise to the young boy. Peter could still hear Mathias' frustrated shouts in the distance.

* * *

Peter and Lovise wandered around the perimeter of the island, searching for the warp pad. The sun had sunk low in the sky. They had made it back to the point where they had started. Mathias had given up on hope of getting a signal on his phone. The three met back at the beach. They were preparing to set up camp for the night when Peter called out to his two older companions.

"Guys! Check it out!" he said, nabbing at their attention. "I found a bunch of rocks that look like pillows!" Peter picked up three of the rocks and carried them back to the campsite with surprising ease.

"My rock is too close," said Mathias flatly. He took one of the rocks from the pile Peter had gathered. While to Peter it was rather light to carry, Mathias had a bit more of a struggle in carrying the rock away from Lovise and Peter. He dropped it down on the ground before laying down on it. Peter sat down, setting out to rocks for him and Lovise.

"Lovise, am I doing something wrong?" Peter asked the young woman as she sat down next to him. She shook her head.

"No," she said. "It's just Mathias being Mathias." Peter laid back on his rock. It didn't feel like a pillow at all.

"You were gonna love it here so much that you never wanted to leave."

"Don't worry." Lovise looked over at Mathias' back. "He can't keep this up forever."

"I would do without the commentary!" Mathias shouted, glancing back at the two before laying down again. Peter sighed.

"Goodnight, Lovise…" he whispered.

"Night, Peter," Lovise responded before lying down herself.

* * *

The next morning, the Crystal Gem still hadn't shown up. Peter had his suspicions that either the mission was taking longer than he thought it would, or the Gems hadn't noticed he was gone yet.

Either way, the trio that was trapped on the island needed to find a way of surviving. The first step was to find food and water. Finding clean water was easy. There was a waterfall careening into a clear lake on the island. That only left food. For nearly the entire day, Lovise and Peter were on the beach. Lovise had a stick in her hands that she had sharpened into a spear. Peter was using a more passive method by crafting a makeshift fishing rod. Peter felt like they had been there all that time, and they still hadn't caught anything.

"Any late-lunch-early-dinner yet?" Peter asked Lovise after his stomach growled for a third time. Lovise jammed the spear into the ground with no luck.

"No," she said, sighing in exasperation. She tore away a strip of fabric from the bottom of her shirt. "What about you?" Peter pulled up his string as Lovise used the strip to tie her hair back.

"No." He stared at the worm he had attached to the end of the string. "I can see why. My bait is too adorable to eat." The worm had a strange looking face with an eerie smile. "Everything on this island has such a bright happy smile." Peter dropped his line back into the water. Lovise straightened up. Her eyes feel directly on Mathias, who had done nothing so far but sit on the beach in the sun.

"Hey! Mathias!" Lovise shouted, pulling her spear out of the sand. Her coworker only gave a hum as a way of responding to her. "Maybe you should help out, you now, if you want to eat." Mathias didn't move. He just rolled over like a dog would. Out of her frustration over being ignored, Lovise thrusted her spear back into the water. There were three consecutive thuds before it hit the sand. Mathias and Peter snapped up as Lovise pulled up her spear. In her act, Lovise had unintentionally caught three fish.

"We're going to live!" said Peter happily. Lovise walked out of the water, picking up her shoes off the sand as she went. She stood over Mathias, holding the spear and the fish out to him. He just stared up at her.

"I catch, you cook!" Mathias stood up. Despite the height difference Lovise once again refused to back down.

"You're not the boss of me," said Mathias. Lovise refused to take that for an answer. She took Mathias by the collar of his shirt, bunching it up in one hand while forcing the spear into his hands. Mathias pushed her away. He took the fish. "Whatever."

By the time Mathias had gotten a fire going, seeing as Lovise was busy finding more edible food on the island, the sun had finally set. Mathias had crafted a small cage to rest the fish on top of, almost like a grill. He spent the next hour and a half poking the fish with a stick.

"Is it done yet?" Peter asked, looking over Mathias's shoulder.

"I don't know," Mathias answered with a simple shrug, "looks done to me." He carefully lifted their dinner off of the fire. "Okay, who's first?" At that moment, Lovise came back, carrying a bundle of firewood in one arm and a small handful of shellfish in the other. She put the shellfish on top of the fire to cook. Mathias held out the fish to her. She stared at it before looking back at him.

"I'll try it," said Peter. After a moment of hesitation, Mathias offered the stick to Peter He carefully slipped the fish off of the stick. Peter almost roppedit on the ground, not expecting the heat. He dropped it on his lap. Peter picked up the cleanest nearby stick he could find and impaled the fish on it. Peter stared down at the fish. Like all the other creatures on the island, it had a strange, mask-like face. It personally creeped Peter out. "It keeps looking at me."

"Maybe it knows it's your fault for getting us lost," Mathias muttered, impaling a second fish on another stick. He held it out to Lovise. She hesitated a second before taking it from him. As Mathias began to poke around her latest catch, Lovise took a small bite of the fish. She stared at the food in wonder.

"Mathias," she said. Mathias looked up at her. The tone she had taken was flat and monotonous. "This is… actually good." Mathias' eyes widened.

"It is?" he said. Lovise took another hungry bite.

"You can really cook." Mathias kept his eyes down on the shellfish that the fire was now heating up. They weren't the only thing heating up.

"Well, you know what they say," said Mathias. He didn't look up. "Fire is nature's microwave."

* * *

Soon, Peter, Lovise and Mathias lost track of how long they had been on the island. Peter was certain that the Gems had been stuck on their mission for longer than he expected. In a small aspect of actuality, he didn't really care. The trio stranded on the island were actually thriving. They built a functioning shelter and had enough food and water to last at least a week. The one thing Peter had taken notice in was the two people he was stuck on the island with. Over the past few days, Mathias and Lovise were arguing less and less often until a single shouting match between the two had become nonexistent. Peter was enjoying it.

One morning, Peter was gently woken up by a small shake to his shoulder. He lazily opened his eyes before sitting up, coming face to face with Lovise.

"Did you see where Mathias went?" she asked in a whisper. Peter shook his head before yawning. He watched Lovise leave their shelter as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

She wandered onto the beach before she heard it.

"Come on. Come on!" Lovise followed the shouting. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest at the sight of Mathias once again messing with his useless phone. How he still even had a battery on it was a mystery to her. He yelled, throwing the device out into the ocean. Mathias dropped down on the sand, staring out at the water. She sighed, walking up behind him.

"Did that help?" she asked, getting his attention. Mathias looked back at her before turning his gaze towards the ocean again.

"No," he said. "It's just…" When Mathias drifted off, Lovise took the chance to sit down next to him. Lovise took notice in the one detail she hadn't seen on Mathias's face at first glance. There were dried tear stains on his face. "What if we never get back home?"

"You're homesick," Lovise thought out loud. This was the first time the topic had come to her mid. She hadn't thought about home since arriving here. All she thought about since they had been stuck on the island was surviving. Mathias looked at her. He looked shocked and confused.

"No duh I am!" he said, raising his voice above normal speaking level. "I don't know about you, but I actually was happy back home!" Lovise went rigid. Is that what he thought? Is that what everyone thought? She released a small breath. Mathias placed his head on top of his knees.

"I am, it's just…" She didn't know exactly what to say. Mathias wasn't exactly the type of person to get emotional like this. Lovise didn't know how to handle it. "Peter said that the Gems could come back for us any day now. Until then…" Mathias looked back up at her. "I'll watch your back. I'll keep you alive." She offered out her hand. Without hesitation, Mathias took it. Unlike what Lovise had mind, Mathias didn't get up. He sat on the sand, just keeping a hold on her hand.

"Lovise?" Mathias asked. "Do you ever get lonely? Even when you're with people?"

"I…" Lovise never got to finish her answer. In a spontaneous moment, Mathias had taken action. He practically leapt forward, latching his lips onto Lovise's. Lovise's eyes widened. She went to push Mathias away. She was hesitating to. She didn't understand why she was hesitating. Confusion flooded her mind. This wasn't like him.

"Hey, guys what're doing?" Mathias and Lovise went stiff and at the sound of Peter's voice.

"Peter?!" both Mathias and Lovise said in unison. The pair pushed each other away. Lovise's face flared up immensely.

"How long ave you been standing there?!" said Mathias. There was a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. "Don't you know what privacy is?!" Peter just gave a small shrug.

"People walking and out of my room all the time," sad the boy. Mathias gave a small noise in frustration. He stood up, making is way back to the camp. "I'm gonna go start on the fire." Lovise hadn't moved. She was still trying to comprehend the flurry of emotions in her head.

Lovise, along with everyone else, only snapped back to attention by a low rumbling coming from some way off in the distance. She stood up.

"That's coming from the camp," she said. There were no words exchanged between the three. They raced back to their settlement. All they found there was a ridiculously large pile of leaves. Peter took a small step forward. The ground shook again, causing the leaves to collapse and scatter on the ground. Mathias latched onto Lovise in a protective manner.

"What the heck was that?!" he said, sounding kind of worried. Peter stared at what he discovered underneath the life pile.

"It's a… gem?" he said, a bit confused. That confusion immediately turned to fear when the gem rose up into the air. There was a loud roar. Peter stumbled backwards into Lovise and Mathias. The gem came closer to them. Peter wasn't exactly clear on what was going on.

Over head, a loud clap of thunder resonated throughout the island. The sky opened up, releasing a thick downpour upon the Earth. There was another roar. Peter kept his eyes on the gem. He could make out a silhouette in the rain, where the water wasn't falling. It all clicked.

"We have to get out of here!" shouted Peter. Mathias and Lovise didn't need to be told twice. They all bolted, trying to put some distance between them and the gem.

"What was that thing" said Mathias, trying to keep up with Peter..

"It must be what the gems were looking for!" answered Peter. "It never left the island after all! It's invisible!" That revelation did not go over well.

"A big invisible thing is after us!?" Lovise bit down harsh on her lip. She knew what she had to do. The only question that remained was what the reaction would e to her actions. Lovise took both Peter and Mathias by their hands.

"This way!" she said. The boys didn't argue as Lovise dragged them in one direction. Thunder crashed over them. It didn't take Peter long to realize where she was taking them. Their pacing soon slowed. Lovise dropped their hands. She moved on forward, right towards a pile of leaves on the ground. Wth quick movements, Lovise demolished the pile and revealed what was hiding underneath. It was the Warp Pad. Peter felt instantly relieved.

"You found it!" he said in joy. He jogged up on top of it. Lovise joined him. Mathias remained till.

"Mathias, come on!" said Lovise. "Hurry up!" Mathias still didn't move.

"You knew!" he yelled. His eyes were narrowed, and his hands had balle up enough that Peter could see hi fingernails digging into the palms of his hands. Peter didn't understand why he was so angry.

"Uh, Mathias?" said Peter. "What's wrong?"

"It's her fault we've been trapped here!" Mathias gestured directly at Lovise. Peter satred at her. While Lovise was trying to keep her expression blank, the guilt was easy to read off of her features.

"What?!"

"I panicked, so I hid the warp pad," Lovise said. She had to explain herself. It seemed to be the only way to get the two boys off of the island. Her words were more directed at Mathias than they were at Peter. "You were going to just leave, but I knew how much you needed this!" Lovise stepped off the warp pad, getting closer to Mathias with every word. "Why don't you ever let me help?!"

"Help?" Mathias repeated. "Are you insane?! You trapped me on an island so you could come onto me!" Lovise went blank before all off Mathias' anger seemed to transfer over to her.

"You were the one… who kissed me…" Lovise was speaking through her teeth. Her fingers wrapped tightly around Mathias' shirt collar. "You kissed me on the mouth!" Peter visibly winced as the sharp sound of Lovise's hand striking Mathias' cheek hit his ears. Neither of them seemed to notice. "Don't try to make it seem like it as the other way around!"

"Guys, stop it!" said Peter. He tried to get in between the two of them, but his efforts turned out to be fruitless. "Look, I want to be mad too, but can we do it on the warp pad?!" Lovise glanced over at the warp pad. She didn't make a noise. Lovise let go of Mathias, pushing him in the process. Peter didn't know if this had been on purpose or completely by accident, but the result of the action had sent Mathias into a bush. The teenager slipped as he tried to climb out of the branches. He fell down into a sunken mud pit.

"Mathias!" Peter had started to suspect that Lovise hadn't meant to push him into the pit. They both raced over to the edge. Peter was worried about Mathias, despite him not appearing to be hurt. The cause of his worry was the floating gem that stood feet away from him. Peter slid down the muddy wall Mathias had pinned himself against. Peter stood in-between the invisible beast and Mathias. He made an attempt to summon his shield. He had done it once before when he was in danger.

Unfortunately, Peter only managed to summon his shield for a split second. The defensive weapon flickered before disappearing completely.

"Oh, come on!" Peter exclaimed. The Corrupted Gem took its chance. It whacked Peter out of its way. Peter slammed into the mud.

From above, Lovise stared down at the scene below. She dug her fingernails into the dirt. She grabbed a fallen branch from off the jungle floor. She slid down into the mud pit. She, although this was rather against what she wanted to do, was the only one left to do anything. Mathias was probably hurt, and Peter couldn't summon his weapon.

Lovise ran forward. Se tried to attack the Corrupted Gem with her branch, only to be knocked easily aside. Lovise didn't give up easily. She dashed forward again. The creature was beyond furious. It grabbed Lovise. She dropped her branch in the process. The monster threw her across the pit. Lovise rolled through the mud. Lovise could feel several bruises on her body. Red dripped from her cheek. With a simple touch, Lovise could feel a cut on her face. She had fallen on something sharp.

Peter took a risky move. He charged forward. He seized Lovise's makeshift weapon. He had enough time to throw it in Lovise's direction just before the Corrupted Gem flung him across the pit again. Peter landed near Mathias, slamming into the wall with a sickening thud.

"Lovise!" Peter shouted, which was quickly followed by a groan. "Use your fish-murdering skills!" With a nod, Lovise made the choice to put her anger towards something else. She picked up the branch Peter had thrown to her. She made a charge at the Gem monster. It swung at her. Instead of letting it throw her again, Lovise clung onto what she hoped was its arm. As the monster tried to shake her off, it made a fatal mistake. It got her close enough to its gem. Lovise took her chance.

At the right moment, Lovise plunged the branch into the creature. There was resistance and a shriek from the Gem. A bright cloud of dust exploded out of nowhere. The Gem and Lovise fell to the ground. Peter rushed over to the gem, practically diving on top of it. He formed a bubble around the gem before it could reform. With a simple tap, Peter sent it back to the temple.

Mathias slowly got to his feet. Lovise calmly stood up. She didn't speak. She instead climbed out of the mud pit. She helped Mathias and Peter out as well. Peter stood beside Lovise as they took their places on the Warp Pad.

"Lovise you were amazing!" Peter said in awe. Mathias stood on Lovise's other side.  
"Yeah…" Mathias added. His tone of speech was weak. "That was really great… how you saved me…" Lovise turned her head. Her eyes were as cold as ice.

"Don't read into it," she said, her voice bitter and stiff.

"We should do this again sometime," Peter said. He activated the Warp Pad. In flash, all three were transported back to the Temple Peter called home.

Peter took notice of the sludge that was dripping off of Lovise. Compared to the other two, Lovise was a mess. Her light blonde hair seemed more of a dirty blonde. Her face was scrubbed with dirt. Her clothes were sticking to her body and now were more brown than the original set of colors they had been. Peter leaned over, getting a better look at her.

"Hey, Lovise?" Peter said, getting her attention. Lovise glanced down at him. "You can use the shower if you want to." Lovise didn't seem to soften much. "It's just over there." Peter gave her a small gesture to show her where it was.

"Thanks," Lovise said. She stepped off the Warp Pad. Mathias followed it suit.

"Lovise—" he said. Lovise whipped around. Mud dripped from her hair.

"Shut it. And stay out of the bathroom." Lovise continued her way into the bathroom.

"The first aid kit is in the cabinet above the toilet!" Peter called out before she could get in the room.

"Is it okay if I borrow your phone afterwards?" Lovise asked Peter, pulling the bathroom door open. " I need to call my mom. She's probably worried about me." Peter nodded.

"Yeah."

"Thanks." Lovise didn't say another word. She shut the door. The click of the door's lock partially echoed throughout the temple. It was that moment Peter noticed the dirt and mud clinging to him and Mathias. He pulled his shirt off over his head.

"We can use the sink to clean up," Peter said. Mathias was barely listening. Peter walked over to the kitchen sink. and deposited in his shirt in there. "It might be a bit hard, but I think we can manage." Mathias glanced over at him. After a solid moment, he shook his head.

"No, I'm good," he told Peter. Mathias made his way for the front door. "I'll just go… shower at home. My parents are worried, I guess." He opened the front door and stepped out.

"Bye!" Peter managed to get out before the front door shut. He started to run the water. He began to clean off his shirt. He really didn't want Pearl to see. It was only a few seconds later when a door opened again. Only this time, it was the door to the Temple. Peter looked up from sink as the Gems entered the part of the Temple that could be considered his. He immediately turned the water off.

"Hey guys!" said Peter. "Don't use the bathroom. Lovise is in there taking a shower." It was these words that made the gems curious about more than one thing.

"Uh… why?" asked Turquoise. She, Pearl and Topaz walked up to the kitchen counter. "And why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

"Because we found the Gem monster on that island." Peter pulled his shirt from out of the sink. Grimy brown water dripped from it. "I bubbled it. We got really dirty. I let her use the bathroom." Peter dropped his shirt back into the sink. Topaz leaned up against the counter. A smile graced her face.

"Good job, Peter," she said. Pearl walked around to the sink beside Peter. With a single finger, she lifted the sopping wet shirt out of the sink's basin. With a cringed look, she let it fall back in.

"Being gone for a few hours on Mask Island shouldn't have really gotten you so… filthy," Pearl said. She picked up a small towel that rested near the sink and wiped off the remainder of the dirt that had stuck to her finger. Peter took a small second to let that information process.

"We were stuck on that island for ten days!" he finally said after a short while. He turned around to face the rest of the Crystal Gems. "How come you guys didn't come and get me?" The Gems exchanged looks with each other.

"Ve vere… uh…" Topaz said She cleared her throat. She seemed to hesitate in her answer. "Ve vere busy."

"Yes! Very busy!" Pearl jumped right in. " So busy we didn't even notice you were gone." This probably wasn't the best thing to say.

"How did you not notice I was gone?!" Peter said, his voice rising above normal speaking level. Pearl and Topaz looked to one another for an answer. They didn't seem to know what to say.

"We spent three days on the mission and a week in my room looking for a key to fit the handcuffs that Topaz forced on me and Pearl," Turquoise explained. Her voice flat as she glanced over at her teammates. "What? It's not like either of you were gonna say something." Pearl sighed.

"Topaz lost the key," she said, explaining the prior situation further. "I'm sorry we didn't come and get you, Peter."

"Vait, _I_ lost the key?!" said Topaz, standing up straight. "Vhat zhe heck? Don't zhrow me under zhe bus!"

"You're the queen of losing things," said Turquoise with a small snicker. "We didn't even find the key. I had to shapeshift out of them. We cut them off Pearl's wrist." There was a pause. Pearl stared a Turquoise.

"Wait, why didn't you shapeshift in the first place?!" Pearl asked. Turquoise replied with a simple shrug.

"You never asked."

"Ve never asked?" Topaz said. She turned onto Turquoise. "You could have saved us a week by doing that in the first place! Do you know how much ve argued over—"

"Ooo, looks like Topaz is fighting," said Turquoise, snide and sass dripping from her tone of voice. She had a smirk on her face. "Maybe we should handcuff you together. Oh wait!" Before Turquoise could continue on, Topaz reached over the counter. She snatched the towel out of Pearl's hands. Topaz turned the towel onto Turquoise, throwing it at her. The towel hit Turquoise right smack in the face.

"Shut up." Peter sighed, leaning up against the counter as he watched his Gem guardians.

"It feels good to be home," he said before laying his head down on the countertop.


End file.
